Here you have a classic case of low nutrition. Deer need lots of calcium and protein when they're growing. But they put this food to the production of strong bones and muscles before bones. So a deer can get enough to eat and display a healthy looking body but with small horns. Eating rye grass and corn will give them ok bodies but poor horns. That is a 41/2 yr old deer and his horns will be about the same or even smaller next year. If u feed him clover and protein and rice bran his horns will more than double in size next year. You cant totaly reverse this in one year, but one year will make a huge difference.

we do feed our deer as much protein as we can afford to.We don't feed year round as we should to obtain the big antler development but we do have healty deer. In the area there are farmers that grow soybeans and corn and the deer should range that far. It just hurts me to see a buck that has good size and small horns. thanks for the info. Maybe I should have shoot him and made sausage.

Another thing to note is some deer will put energy into body development and some will put towards antler development. Smaller lighter weight and lighter colored mature bucks will almost always have larger antlers than do large bodied dark grey deer. I've noted this all over Louisiana, Mississippi and Illinois. In Illinois our 275lb to 315 lb dark grey deer rarely break 140' where as our 200 to 230 lb yellow, light grey and orange deer will usually be 150 to more than 200 inches. I've seen the same on Tensas, Red River, and my place in Mississsippi for 25 years. It's how that gene utilizes nutrition.

Bigjim, thats exactly right. Your the first person i know that has noted this.La. conservationist mag once published a cover photo with both these colored deer side by side. Deerman, we had almost the same situation as u when we first came here. I got sick of hearing,' boy he sure had a big body, but his horns were kinda scrawny'.I only feed about 5 sacks a week on 500 acres, just never corn. Also deer will only eat about a handfull of pellets, whereas they will eat corn till its gone, so pellets are actually more economical.But i have lots of whitetail clover, u will never find a time when all my foodplots are disced at the same time, there is always something on my land that they want.Not critizeing ur efforts, just saying i've found food is much more important than worrying about something u cant help. Love to see u get him, thats the best way to tell age, for sure.lol

I didn't know that about color but as I think about the deer ive killed in the past on our property that is correct. although the largest body and biggest antlered deer i've seen and couldn't get a shot was so dark he was almost black. saw him once 2 years ago and have not seen him again. very good info.

Thats whats so great about this site, you can see what others are doing and get insight into your own hunting. Many times i've had things loose in my head only to have a comment bring it all together. Henry Wiggins helped me kill a big 10pt last year just by a comment that clued me in.Work on the things you can control and dont worry about what u cant control.

HUNTR, YOU ARE RIGHT THIS IS A VERY GOOD WEB SITE, I ENJOY HEARING OTHER PEOPLE'S VIEWS. I AT ONE TIME THOUGHT I KNEW ALL THERE WAS TO KNOW ABOUT HUNTING. DUE TO THIS WEB SITE I AM STILL LEARNING. i'VE LEARNED A BUNCH FROM YOU SO KEEP SHARING YOUR INFO. IT'S A SHAME EVERY NOW AND THEN SOMEONE TRIES TO TRASH UP THIS SITE. THE PEOPLE WHO MONITOR THIS SITE DO A VERY GOOD JOB.