Ask The Biologist

If You Plant It ...

If You Plant It ...

By Bob Humphrey

Food plots and feeding programs don’t guarantee big bucks.

QUESTION: If I plant food plots, how long will it take before I start to see results like bigger antlers on bucks?

ANSWER: In and of themselves, food plots aren’t likely to make a huge difference in antler size, particularly if nutrition in general is not lacking in your area.

As you’re probably aware, it takes three things: genetics, nutrition and age for a buck to grow big antlers. There’s not much you can do about genetics, especially in free-range deer. Improving nutrition will certainly help bucks reach their genetic potential, but they have to reach sufficient age to do so.

The easiest and most effective thing you can do to see bigger bucks is to let them grow older before you take them.

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