I actually think genetics is the the main factor in getting antler growth.Not being overstocked in Deer or any other animal that utilizes the same feed plays a big part. And letting a deer get to the age that the antlers are at their maximum growth. But everything has to work out just right all those years he needs to get to that age. Drought, sickness, injury etc. are going to play into if he will ever get to that point. Genetics. A deer will only produce the antlers his genes will let him produce. The best feed in the world can only do so much. He may in the best year of his life be a 120 inch deer no matter what he gets to eat. On the other hand a deer that has never tasted protein my be a 175 inch deer. Again I may be wrong but I believe AR's are going about it the wrong way if getting better antlers is what the goal is. You are shooting the best deer that should be kept for breeders. You are keeping narrow antlered deer for breeding. If you are in the cattle or say Ibex business like myself you use the best Bull or Billie for your breeders. You don't use some inferior bull or a Ibex with short horns because that is what your offspring will look like. AR's should be for a number of years flipped 180 degrees. Nothing over 13 inches wide should be legal. Shoot all the tight antlered bucks and let the wide ones do the breeding.

The use of protein fed sporadically to a free-roaming deer herd cannot be compared to feeding it to enclosed bucks in huge quantities. Two entirely different things.
Just like comparing genetic impacts/manipulation of captive animals to wild, free-roaming deer. LF wild deer population genetics are almost never changed in any macro way by hunting. Been hearing about the “narrow-rack” selection impacts of ARs for over a decade now. Haven’t seen it yet other than a few who anectdotally claim it (and were in a “narrow” gene pool area anyway). Going back to shooting 1 1/2- 2 1/2 years olds would not be a good idea.

Yes but how many of those 1/2-2 year old are what you want to breed your herd with? I realize I know squat about much of anything. But I do have age and experience on a lot of things. Common sense tells you that breeding inferior animals over and over again will keep getting you the same result. Sometimes you need to bite the bullet and do what it takes to get a better end result in the future.

You know better than me but I would agree with just about everything you just said. IMO it can help some in certain circumstances if all the stars align. Does it weigh out on the cost/benefit scale?

I guess that’s a personal decision.

The way most feed it I think it does not.

You Sir are dead on - if you are on 100 acres in Hill country then protein truly is a waste of effort, time, and money - folks do not like hearing that but it is what it is

Also if you cannot afford to put out protein on a totally free choice basis then you are wasting your money and time

My philosophy is this - recognize where you are hunting and what the limits are - then do all you can to maximize what your ranch or lease will produce - if that is 120 or 200 inches - be proud of the process of producing the best that the area can produce - a trophy is a trophy based on that criteria

STXranchman yet ta give his .
this thread if not mistaken, is about efects of suplemental feed (protein) playes on antler growth.
As many have posted genetics & age play a big roll.
Different type hunting were i grew up.
First, winters are harsh, & make it tougher on deer. They need the weight just to survive the winters. Rut plays big roll, buck-doe ratios, & health also.
Deer are natural browsers. When they loose their antlers, weight gain for a healthy deer is were most protein goes. Antler growth is secondary.
As pappy say's: " a deer servise on its health NOT antler growth. "
The 30+ years in hunting on small acre LF free ranging deer. Had the corn feeders, food plots 4 cams, located so could see deer movement, pics every minnute, mostly seen the does coming into the, feeding stations. Pics of the bucks were usualy hitting mineral blocks put out in the warmer, first stages of antler growth. Ta get a pic of a buck, after the velvet pretty much had ta move the cams, scrape & rub lines. Had thread bout, mock scrape, bucks were staying clear of feeders & food plots. Scurting the area's during rut. One of the first things noticed on first lease was on.
We tried getting a doe tag for acreage around house, we worked the fences, brush hoged, spent many hours out doors observing the wildlife. the eyes & ears, yet were told not enough deer.
Ya dont have ta have big bucks or use proper grammer ta be a conservation minded hunter.
The deer in area's have hunted, bucks are basicly basket racks native deer, & antler growth threw years, is little wider, tines tallee, with little more mass. Healthy deer is 1st priority.
i got cheap posts.

Intent of this post was not to start a pis*** match.

I will say we had a 175 inch 9 point some years back - he was a protein hog. In the pen 3-4 times a day. We had a very severe drought and he put on 26 inches and made the book at a 15 points with 201 inches the following year.

We are not HF but we are a very large LF ranch with little competition from other neighbors. Some of our bucks tend to hang at feeders more than others. On average though, very few of them consume feed for more than 5 minutes. Proven fact based off of our thousands of trail cam pics.


My original question and post was this - during drought protein seems to make a huge difference - during good, wet years then natural browse seems to be the king. Genetics and age to me are the starting points to grow really big LF deer - add into that a supplemental food source if the browse is not at its best - that makes sense.

My end conclusion is that although protein is a valuable part and contributes to the program it is not the leading factor in producing trophy deer (unless you have unlimited funds and can turn your LF ranch into a feed lot).

First and foremost you must be patient in letting your deer age - you need to be in an area that has some good genetics. You must be willing to manage the herd by keeping the number of deer per acre in check (kill does, cull inferior bucks). Then, if you do all that, the protein can do its magic

What is your thought on feeder location and pressure on certain protien feeder set ups. Like one as a sanctuary. On our place in Val Verde our 1,000 lb free range feeder is close to a fencline that has 100 acre tracts side by side. There is one of them that is owned by a member on here and he takes maybe 1 or 2 deer a year. The others shoot young deer and run around all the time. We originally put it there to draw deer or hold the one’s we can. Now I am thinking we would be better served putting it down in the center in the canyon that runs through our place.

I would think a sanctuary feeder would be a good idea and that more towards the middle of your property would help draw in and keep deer on your property. You did not say how big your place is so that is a factor.

We do not shoot deer in our feed pens - most of them are not in sight of our stands. We also do not shoot deer within 300 yards of our ponds so that the deer can come to water with a feeling of safety.

My thought is you want to draw deer into your place and keep them on your place - not to the outside edges of your place.

Guys have this idea that putting feeders/plots on fence lines are better for drawing deer from their neighbors. In reality, it just draws them where neighbors have a chance to hunt them too.