BigJon
07-24-2005, 03:20 PM
If you really try to boil it down to bare bones, the three factors we’ve all seen on a triangular exhibit at deer shows and seminars (age, nutrition, and genetics) are all substantively important. I say "substantively" instead of "equally", because each is a big player, but it's not something that you could attribute 1/3 each to in terms of importance.
Now, let's look at genetics. Of the three (age and nutrition being the other two), genetics is the hardest to influence (absent a high fence) and the least affected by acting on one animal. Remember, each buck you see has mom's genes in him too, and they roam around alot, especially during the rut. So, what we're trying to do when we're growing big deer is not as much to change the genetics of the herd but maximize what the genetics that are there. How? Through the other two - age, and nutrition.
Age can be manipulated more easily than genetics, and more so as the size of the property being managed increases. Just don't shoot the little ones.
Nutrition can be manipulated as well. Volumes can, and have been written about whitetail nutrition. Basically, though, the average hunter is concerned with two things - protein, and minerals. These two things will provide the greatest return in maximizing genetic potential.
As for protein, common supplemental sources are pellets and forage plantings. If you opt for a pellet, look first at the company that makes it. Is that company engaged in deer- or animal-nutrition as the main focus of its business? And does the company have a long and good track record? Then the pellet is probably fine. Yes, it’s as easy as that. If you opt for a forage, look for a forage that is high in protein, and both available and attractive for as much of the calendar year as possible. A deer's nutritional needs change during the year, and while they might not need high-protein forages all year, the forages need to be there when the deer do need them, so look for a forage that is high in protein and both available and attractive all year, or for as much of the year as possible. Some forages only last for part of the year. Other forages last most of the year but are only attractive for a brief period. Others are attractive and available for the bulk of the year but lack nutritional quality.
Once you narrow the options down to a few forages you want to try, then plant them all precisely according to the seller's directions, and see what your deer prefer. A good trick here is to put a wire cage called an "exclusion cage" in each field so that you can see how much the deer are using the forage. It's that simple - if you see them walk through plot A to get to what's in plot B, or if plot B generally stays mowed down except for the part in the cage, and the part in the cage is nice and tall, then next time, go with what you had planted in plot B.
Minerals are also vital. They don't take a back seat to protein but are simply the other side of the solution to maximizing genetic potential. Think of maximizing genetic potential as a trip from point A to point B. If you want to drive all the way to point B, but in all the gas you'll need. Same way with genetic potential - put in all the gas you'll need, protein and minerals. Both are important to the whole herd, but for ease of explanation, I’ll hit just the high points with regard to antlers.
When Mr. Buck starts growing his antlers back in the late winter / early spring, he starts by building the velvet antler, which is pretty much protein (collagen). Then, when the hardening process starts, he deposits minerals on the collagen matrix, a process that for obvious reasons is caused "mineralization". If you're holding a hardened antler in your hand, you are holding about 45% protein and about 55% minerals, so you can see how important minerals are!
BUT, you won't get all the way to where you're trying to go (remember, our goal is maximizing genetic potential) by supplementing with just any mineral or mineral mix. Far from it!
First, some minerals are highly attractive to deer, but are of virtually no benefit in maximizing antler size. Let’s take salt for example. Salt is usually the first thing deer hunters think of when minerals are mentioned. It's mighty attractive to them during the spring and summer, and the big holes the deer make when they’re after salt sure look impressive. Unfortunately, salt does virtually nothing for them in terms of nutrition or antler size. What it does, from a practical standpoint, is attract them, make them thirsty, and cause them to fill up space in their stomachs with water instead of something that will be of benefit.
Second, you could even do your deer harm if you do minerals incorrectly - mineral mixes can actually be toxic if they contain the wrong minerals, or even the right ones in the wrong ratios. For example, most deer mineral mixes you'll find out there contain copper - which can actually be toxic to sheep!
So what minerals ARE of benefit? Bucks, does, and fawns need a whole HOST of macro and trace minerals, in varying amounts during their annual cycles, but let's just stick with a couple (because that will explain my point about minerals being crucial and also lead me into the "tie in" I mentioned earlier). Taking our harndened-antler example again, remember I mentioned that a hardened antler is roughly 45% is protein and 55% minerals? Well, what minerals? Of this 55%, you have specific minerals in specific ratios (e.g.: 22% calcium, 11% phosphorous, etc.)
So, how do you choose a mineral supplement that will actually do the deer some good? It’s simple. The industry is highly regulated, and manufacturers are required by law to put an ingredient tag on the back of the package. If the tag says that is all or almost all sodium or salt, well, then you know what you have in the bag is nutritionally inferior, regardless of how cool the package looks.
So, the bottom line is that to maximize your bucks' full rack potential you must supplement with the PROPER minerals in the CORRECT ratios and in a form that the deer will take it, and the best way to do that is to (1) get a mineral mix that is blended specifically for deer, (2) from a reputable company, so you'll know that the right research has been done in its formulation, and (3) that is not mostly salt / sodium.
Now for the tie in (this is the good stuff, because if I do it right, it will take you to a level of understanding beyond what you might normally pick up at your every-day deer seminar). It starts with this - osteoporosis (the bone-loss problem old ladies have). Most folks don't know this, but a deer gets most of the minerals he deposits on his velvet-antler matrix from his own skeletal system through the same process!
Now, let's take it one step further. Think about that little triangle we've all seen about growing big deer - genetics, nutrition, and age. Well, guess what. We are about to put two of these - age and nutrition together! You are about to see an aspect of how they relate to, and affect, each other in the context of the effect of minerals on antler size!
Let's say you have a mature buck that has just dropped his antlers. He's all tired and beaten up from the rut. He will naturally put his body back into shape before devoting substantial resources to rack development. So, he puts minerals toward his muscles and bones to get them back in shape. Once he's got that done, minerals go more to antlers.
Now, let's say you have the same thing, but the buck is only two years old. This little guy has an extra step - as with the mature buck, he has to get his body back in shape, but then he also has to GROW IT SOME MORE, before he pours it into antlers. All of a sudden, some bright guy puts out the RIGHT minerals in the CORRECT ratios in a form the deer will take. All of a sudden, Mr. Young buck has plenty of minerals to get back in shape with, plenty to grow with, and then he has a much greater surplus of minerals left than he did before he had access to the supplement. Where do you think that surplus will go? That's right - his rack!
You'll find research out there that shows in some cases as much as 60%, and even greater increases in rack mass of young deer when they are given access to the RIGHT minerals in the CORRECT ratios in a form they'll take.
There is also evidence that mineral supplementation (again, the right minerals in the right ratios) can increase the amount of milk a doe produces and also result in larger fawns being dropped, and that larger fawns become larger mature deer with larger racks.
You'll never look at a bent old lady the same way again, will you?
Best,
Jon
Now, let's look at genetics. Of the three (age and nutrition being the other two), genetics is the hardest to influence (absent a high fence) and the least affected by acting on one animal. Remember, each buck you see has mom's genes in him too, and they roam around alot, especially during the rut. So, what we're trying to do when we're growing big deer is not as much to change the genetics of the herd but maximize what the genetics that are there. How? Through the other two - age, and nutrition.
Age can be manipulated more easily than genetics, and more so as the size of the property being managed increases. Just don't shoot the little ones.
Nutrition can be manipulated as well. Volumes can, and have been written about whitetail nutrition. Basically, though, the average hunter is concerned with two things - protein, and minerals. These two things will provide the greatest return in maximizing genetic potential.
As for protein, common supplemental sources are pellets and forage plantings. If you opt for a pellet, look first at the company that makes it. Is that company engaged in deer- or animal-nutrition as the main focus of its business? And does the company have a long and good track record? Then the pellet is probably fine. Yes, it’s as easy as that. If you opt for a forage, look for a forage that is high in protein, and both available and attractive for as much of the calendar year as possible. A deer's nutritional needs change during the year, and while they might not need high-protein forages all year, the forages need to be there when the deer do need them, so look for a forage that is high in protein and both available and attractive all year, or for as much of the year as possible. Some forages only last for part of the year. Other forages last most of the year but are only attractive for a brief period. Others are attractive and available for the bulk of the year but lack nutritional quality.
Once you narrow the options down to a few forages you want to try, then plant them all precisely according to the seller's directions, and see what your deer prefer. A good trick here is to put a wire cage called an "exclusion cage" in each field so that you can see how much the deer are using the forage. It's that simple - if you see them walk through plot A to get to what's in plot B, or if plot B generally stays mowed down except for the part in the cage, and the part in the cage is nice and tall, then next time, go with what you had planted in plot B.
Minerals are also vital. They don't take a back seat to protein but are simply the other side of the solution to maximizing genetic potential. Think of maximizing genetic potential as a trip from point A to point B. If you want to drive all the way to point B, but in all the gas you'll need. Same way with genetic potential - put in all the gas you'll need, protein and minerals. Both are important to the whole herd, but for ease of explanation, I’ll hit just the high points with regard to antlers.
When Mr. Buck starts growing his antlers back in the late winter / early spring, he starts by building the velvet antler, which is pretty much protein (collagen). Then, when the hardening process starts, he deposits minerals on the collagen matrix, a process that for obvious reasons is caused "mineralization". If you're holding a hardened antler in your hand, you are holding about 45% protein and about 55% minerals, so you can see how important minerals are!
BUT, you won't get all the way to where you're trying to go (remember, our goal is maximizing genetic potential) by supplementing with just any mineral or mineral mix. Far from it!
First, some minerals are highly attractive to deer, but are of virtually no benefit in maximizing antler size. Let’s take salt for example. Salt is usually the first thing deer hunters think of when minerals are mentioned. It's mighty attractive to them during the spring and summer, and the big holes the deer make when they’re after salt sure look impressive. Unfortunately, salt does virtually nothing for them in terms of nutrition or antler size. What it does, from a practical standpoint, is attract them, make them thirsty, and cause them to fill up space in their stomachs with water instead of something that will be of benefit.
Second, you could even do your deer harm if you do minerals incorrectly - mineral mixes can actually be toxic if they contain the wrong minerals, or even the right ones in the wrong ratios. For example, most deer mineral mixes you'll find out there contain copper - which can actually be toxic to sheep!
So what minerals ARE of benefit? Bucks, does, and fawns need a whole HOST of macro and trace minerals, in varying amounts during their annual cycles, but let's just stick with a couple (because that will explain my point about minerals being crucial and also lead me into the "tie in" I mentioned earlier). Taking our harndened-antler example again, remember I mentioned that a hardened antler is roughly 45% is protein and 55% minerals? Well, what minerals? Of this 55%, you have specific minerals in specific ratios (e.g.: 22% calcium, 11% phosphorous, etc.)
So, how do you choose a mineral supplement that will actually do the deer some good? It’s simple. The industry is highly regulated, and manufacturers are required by law to put an ingredient tag on the back of the package. If the tag says that is all or almost all sodium or salt, well, then you know what you have in the bag is nutritionally inferior, regardless of how cool the package looks.
So, the bottom line is that to maximize your bucks' full rack potential you must supplement with the PROPER minerals in the CORRECT ratios and in a form that the deer will take it, and the best way to do that is to (1) get a mineral mix that is blended specifically for deer, (2) from a reputable company, so you'll know that the right research has been done in its formulation, and (3) that is not mostly salt / sodium.
Now for the tie in (this is the good stuff, because if I do it right, it will take you to a level of understanding beyond what you might normally pick up at your every-day deer seminar). It starts with this - osteoporosis (the bone-loss problem old ladies have). Most folks don't know this, but a deer gets most of the minerals he deposits on his velvet-antler matrix from his own skeletal system through the same process!
Now, let's take it one step further. Think about that little triangle we've all seen about growing big deer - genetics, nutrition, and age. Well, guess what. We are about to put two of these - age and nutrition together! You are about to see an aspect of how they relate to, and affect, each other in the context of the effect of minerals on antler size!
Let's say you have a mature buck that has just dropped his antlers. He's all tired and beaten up from the rut. He will naturally put his body back into shape before devoting substantial resources to rack development. So, he puts minerals toward his muscles and bones to get them back in shape. Once he's got that done, minerals go more to antlers.
Now, let's say you have the same thing, but the buck is only two years old. This little guy has an extra step - as with the mature buck, he has to get his body back in shape, but then he also has to GROW IT SOME MORE, before he pours it into antlers. All of a sudden, some bright guy puts out the RIGHT minerals in the CORRECT ratios in a form the deer will take. All of a sudden, Mr. Young buck has plenty of minerals to get back in shape with, plenty to grow with, and then he has a much greater surplus of minerals left than he did before he had access to the supplement. Where do you think that surplus will go? That's right - his rack!
You'll find research out there that shows in some cases as much as 60%, and even greater increases in rack mass of young deer when they are given access to the RIGHT minerals in the CORRECT ratios in a form they'll take.
There is also evidence that mineral supplementation (again, the right minerals in the right ratios) can increase the amount of milk a doe produces and also result in larger fawns being dropped, and that larger fawns become larger mature deer with larger racks.
You'll never look at a bent old lady the same way again, will you?
Best,
Jon