It goes without saying that white-tailed deer hunters love to see deer when they head out into the woods. But when it comes to deer management and the ability to grow bigger bucks, numbers can work against you and the habitat that your property provides. Deer foods, after all, are in limited supply. There may be times when the food supply far exceeds the demand of hungry deer, but then there are the stress periods where demand exceeds the available food supply.
Few hunters really think about deer being hungry, other than the ones that show up at the feeders or food plots. Research has shown that a gap of just two to three months during the winter period, when deer are having to consume suboptimal food, can have as much as a 20% impact on the size of the antlers those bucks will grow the following year. In short, adequate deer nutrition is a must throughout the year if you want to manage for improved body condition and buck antler quality. Continue reading Deer Management for Growing Quality Bucks