Small antlers in bucks is something that’s hotly debated by deer hunters. Some hunters believe it is purely related to nutrition, while others believe it is purely related to minerals (or lack thereof) in local soils. Both can have factors on antler development, but a larger role is attributed to something not as tangible.
Deer managers can expect to see fewer than 25 percent spikes among yearlings in areas with well-fed, well-managed whitetails herds (Browning Trail Camera photo by Dan Schmidt)
Social stress is a huge factor in why young bucks don’t manifest larger antler configurations. This has been not only documented on the pages of Deer & Deer Hunting over the years, it has been studied, scientifically, for decades. Among the best research that we have seen on small racks in white-tailed bucks was revealed by John J. Ozoga more than 20 years ago in his very extensive reports. His research papers used his own research at Michigan’s Cusino Research Station, but also included the findings of researchers like Steve Shea and his associates out of Illinois.
“I am convinced that excessive social stress, caused by frequent conflict among individuals, can disrupt basic physiological function in young white-tailed bucks in particular, and lead to an imbalance of certain hormones,” Ozoga said. “This might ultimately supress antler development — even when bucks are born on schedule and provided with adequate nutrition.”
Social stress, in these cases, is directly linked to an area’s deer density. In the research studies, Ozoga and his colleagues studied deer living on range at a rate of more than 100 animals per square mile. When the density surpassed that figure, social stress resulted in delayed rutting activity, delayed conception dates among adult does, lower-than-normal fawning rates, and unusually high newborn fawn losses among yearling does. This was all in spite of the fact that these deer were provided unlimited, high-quality feed year-round.
Amazingly, the yearling bucks living in these conditions were 25 percent more likely to grow undersized racks during that first year of antler growth.
“It’s also likely that increased social stress might occur in deer herds that are socially out of balance due to improper harvest strategies,” Ozoga continued. “For example, a shortage of prime-age buckis can be disruptive during the rut because older, dominant bucks provide harmony and social order.”
The take-aways to this research? It’s important to keep deer herds below prescribed carrying capacities, and it’s also important for land managers to strive for a balance when formulating harvest strategies for their properties. If you skew your efforts all one way — or the other — it can have compounding effects, especially if you are managing deer in a larger block of landowners with similar strategies.
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