It seems to be raining a little more than last year in the area. I saw decent racks on deer last year. Do you think this rain and plant growth might make racks better this year? Or will the water take more nutrients from the plants?

Rain will help the deer maximize their genetic potential by promoting new vegetation growth that is highly digestable. Our vegetation is high in protein, but if we don't have the new growth, it does very little for antler growth. For me, it is the timing of the rain, not necessarily how much annual rainfall. Typically late winter/early spring rains are the most beneficial for my area of the state. If you're already supplemental feeding, it might not make that much of a difference other than to keep a good water supply for the animals.

Good amounts of March rains = good antler growth years in South Texas. Average to above average rainfall in the months following that = great antler growth years.

It will be more related to mass than beam or tine length. Definitely makes a difference though.

Ideally you need good conditions starting in the fall. Deer will scavenge minerals from their bones to support antler growth, once that growth is finished, they replace those minerals. If you have a good fall, where the deer can fully replace any minerals depleted in antler growing, then any extra minerals can go into the rack. The fall acorn crop is important because it's an excellent source of minerals.

the antlers I've seen on rain deer are quite impressive got several pic's of bucks starting their racks

I see bigger racks during years with timely rainfall and lots of green through July. But, if you don't have any mature bucks in the area, you are not going to see big racks. This is on average...always that freak here and there that pops up during any conditions.

We've received timely rains during the optimal growth period. We shall continue to monitor conditions and report back with our findings.

Couple reads that reference the same study from Texas A&M Kingsville


http://www.growingdeer.tv/view/2013/05/17/predicting-antler-growth-with-a-rain-gauge/

http://www.buckmanager.com/2011/04/10/deer-management-rainfall-habitat-and-antler-growth/