Wet years good or bad for horn growth?

I have hunted for 50 plus years and can remember a number of seasons in which the spring and summer rains were good and hit at the right times. Lush range conditions that would bring high hopes for bigger horns. Many times however the harvest ended up being less than expected - not just on the ranches I was on but across the area.

Then there have been other seasons in which there was little if any rain and drought conditions were in place. Country would look desolate and dry and we ended up having a good season with some really nice bucks taken. In fact two of my best deer were taken in drought conditions, one of which added 25 inches of horn from the previous year even thought there was very little rain.

This all goes contrary to common sense and we have discussed it in camp and with many hunters. We have talked about the theory that in dry years the bucks hit the protein much harder and therefore can have better horns. We have also discussed that in green years the bucks don't have to travel for food and therefore the big bucks just aren't visible.

So I am interested in what others have experienced and what the various thoughts are on this topic

Rain is obviously good for antler growth. You may see less success in those years because the deer are harder to find due to abundant, natural food sources. On a dry year, they will be more isolated and hit feeders better.

I'll take a wet year over a dry year anytime.

I've heard a few times this year that the late rains we have got this year are extremely beneficial for antler growth.

When you say the 'Harvest was less than expected' are you referring to overall number of deer taken or the quality of the bucks?

I think it kind of goes without saying the deer rely less on our feeders when there is more vegetation. Not sure how directly that correlates with the following winter time after most of their food dies off, but I'm sure there has to be at least some correlation.

Could just be a matter of deer patterns. Deer are on a whole, creatures of habit. Could be by the time deer season comes around, our hunting strategies and set-ups dont coincide with the routes and patterns the deer have developed through out the previous "wet year."


After rereading what I just wrote, I realized this is in no way, what so ever, any help at all... But, it's the middle of the day on a Tuesday, and I would much rather spit off incoherent opinions and experiences with deer than deal with past due Accounts Receivables.

Definitely interested to see what other folks have to say about the topic though!

Im in the you just don't see them at feeders getting shot because they have plenty of groceries else where camp.

Honesty will get you nowhere DirtNap.

Considering that horn growth correlates directly with body condition, I say it's obvious that a wet year would be beneficial to horn growth. To see actual proof you would really need to do some controlled experimental scientific type stuff. I have grown up farming/ranching, and I think the shape the cattle are in will tell you what sort of shape the deer will be in. In a wet year, our momma cows are as fat and happy as they could possibly be.

The deer are going to grow horns no matter, what, and I would be willing to bet that the same buck at the same age in a drought versus wet year will score higher in the wet year.

Now that I have said all that, the cattle that get the most feed poured to them usually grow off and get fatter quicker than the ones simply on a native grass diet. With that being said, I could also see how in a drought year they eat more protein, which could be more beneficial to their horns than native diet.

I lean towards the "better horns in a wet year" side of things, but it would be interesting to see a real study done on the subject.

IMO, they are certainly going to be better on a wet year than dry.

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a perfect hunting year would be a wet wet February through about august- then dry so they will come to corn well, and of course throw in a weak acorn crop

Wet year does not tell me anything. If it rained starting the first part of January and continued till Sept then it will be an epic year like 1992 or the season a couple of years ago in 2010. The most critical period for a buck is the 30 days post rut. He needs groceries at that time in a big way to set him up to grow antlers. Stuart Stedman wrote and article a few back based on research on when it rained and how it effected antler growth. March was a very critical month and he showed where if it rained above average in March it was going to be a good antler year. If it is a wet spring the deer will be much better than if it is a wet summer. Late rains starting in mid June or later are not going to help a deer that much. It does not instantly rain forbs or new growth browse. They take time to grow and they still has to eat. In South Texas what good spring rains can do is produce mast crops of the bean bearing plants. Those beans can be high in protein and lots of them. I will take and above average, wet rainfall from Jan till Sept or just a wet spring over a wet summer only.

Body has to survive and recover, before it will start much work on antler, then "extra" can go towards antler growth. Range make-up may effect that more than rainfall IDK, but if there aren't as many minerals in some places, then deer probably ingest less for growth than their potential may allow.

I know a hunting unit in Colorado that is a coveted trophy area (unit 61) take along time to draw, but the deer and Elk seem to just be plain "bigger" than units that surround it (as a norm). When I lived there, I asked a DOW biologist why that was, he said it is a direct correlation to the higher mineral content in that mountain range. Made sense to me. I know thats not Texas, but I believe the same would apply here.

I have read some of Stedman's info along with other studies and it seems the prime time for south texas rain is March-April with the thought being the forbs take some time to grow in order to be consumed during actual antler growth a month or two after that.

I can also see where post rut habitat is critical for body weight and survival.

Also one critical point in all of this is the rainfall in the birth year of the buck fawn. If he does not survive then he can't become that mega giant that one wants in 5-7 yrs down the road.
IMO Forb growth is what makes South Texas deer pop in those timely rainfall years. They can run much higher in protein values than new growth leaves on browse plants.
Also a lot of ranches now feed protein from post season to some feeding year round nowdays. I think it takes the post rut factor out of the mix on a lot of places. There is never a real drought in the food available. We all know that good healthy habitat is cheaper than pouring habitat out of a bag for a deer to eat. Rainfall just adds more to the buffet.

From what I understand deer can scavenge from their skeleton to support antler growth. They replace those minerals as soon as antler growth stops so fall range condition is important. You need both phosphorus and calcium in the right quantities to maximize antler growth. Before a buck can devote energy to growing antlers it needs to be in good condition. It gets to be a complicated formula which is why sometimes what you see for condition doesn't seem to match results. On some ranges, acorns are your best source of phosphorus, have a crop failure, deer have smaller antlers the following year. Each area will have it's own patterns. To really be able to read what's happening you need to study your local ecosystem.

I heard many years ago that a wet spring and the amount of sun light in the month of May had a lot to do with antler growth. If I remember correctly this was from the parks and wildlife dept. I'am sure rains during the summer and good forbs and browse helps a lot.

We have tried putting out supplemental minerals in the past - I know some ranches do so - I am curious as to if this additional cost/supplement is worth the time and money?

For us the rains came too late this year for antlers. As mentioned above, we need the rains in the January/February/March time frame to set the bucks up well coming out of post rut.

Sure, the country looks good now and I'm always thankful for rain. It will help the health of the herd, but it didn't help antlers. Because of this, the deer hammered the protein all thru March, April, and May. They generally slow down during this time, but not this year.

As far as rain and antler growth go, I am not sure there is really a debate. A wet winter and wet spring nearly in my experience equal better antlers than dry winters and dry springs. The deer may be tougher to find due to the abundance of food and water, but there is no substitute for the right weather conditions when talking antler growth. BTW, my early bucks are showing significantly better antler growth this year as compared to last year at this time which I attribute solely to better range conditions due to an early wet winter and wet spring.

My personal experience is that if range conditions are too good, you just don't see them that much. Ideally, good spring conditions for antler development, followed by a dry late summer and early fall would be my choice. Then I like some cold, wet weather mid-fall, through the end of the season.

There's a difference between what's ideal for growing deer and hunting deer. The period between rubbing out and antler casting is important, once antlers are cast, I don't think you can make up for any deficiency that exists.

It depends on the ranch. If you are feeding thousands of pounds of protein and have water available a dry year can be good. This is because it can encourage the deer to hit the protein harder than they would have if natural but lower protein forage was available. Having said that I would still rather have a wet uear.

-john

I ask Clay Young with Mexico outfitters a few years ago after they had good rains south west of Del Rio how the deer were doing and he said they get bigger racks when it was dry which forced the deer to come to the protein feeders all year long.

Remember that protein pellets tend to be a balanced food with the proper ratio of calcium/phosphorus. If there is an improvement during dry years when deer get a bigger percentage of their food from supplemental feeding then somethings missing in their natural feed.

Or they are over CC or it is real bad ranch that has been overgrazed in years past.

If your not feeding protein pellets yes.... if you are no.

oklahoma I didn't feed protein, they couldn't utilize it enough (probably because of the alfalfa and soybeans), but would hit mineral sites

Hill country they live at protein feeders but wouldn't hit mineral sites. Pellets are pretty balanced mineral wise

Feeding protein is a catch 22. With protein they tend to hammer only top preferred plants/forbes, with out they tend to graze equally

That really depends on the ranch also. I have seen it go the opposite direction with plant selection on protein and when/if they eat those plants.

You guys have fed protein on a much larger scale than I have, but I know when I used to give High protein to my cows, either syrup or cube, they'd eat barbed wire dam near (if the protein was high enough) basically would eat any native grass they could, to cure the "burn". Plus the added intake of water.

I just assume deer would be similar, but maybe less so, since their stomach system is less than.