To produce quality bucks, deer need plenty to eat.  Deer managers in areas with high deer densities need to implement a harvest strategy that reduces herd size to a point either at or below carrying capacity (see Figure below).   When deer aren’t competing with other deer for food, their diet improves, and so do their antlers.  Research indicates body weight and antler quality respond more to diet than genetics in free-ranging deer.  Perhaps not surprisingly, there is also some evidence linking the health of a doe and the ability of her buck fawn to later grow quality antlers.  Therefore, managing the whole deer herd – bucks, does, and fawns – is necessary for producing quality bucks.

When deer harvest is carefully planned and habitat improved, higher body weights can be realized.  With increased body weights, antler sizes increase and those bucks become prolific breeders in the herd.  The habitat needs to be in balance with the deer population so that optimal nutrition will be available.  In deer herds with optimal health and nutrition, genetics may become a factor in determining antler quality.  However, very few landowners have this circumstance.  Some deer herds may never reach quality status, even at their peak.  There are just too many factors that come into play, including soil quality, plant nutrition, and deer mobility. 

However, many areas with deer can grow quality deer with proper harvest and habitat management.  Be warned that it may take several years of deer harvest to achieve quality bucks, so don’t expect your enterprise to produce quality deer overnight.  Seek assistance from a deer biologist to determine whether your area has the potential to produce quality bucks, and if so, ask for assistance in developing a harvest strategy to achieve your goals.

Figure: In theory, the ideal deer population size is slightly below carrying capacity at point “X” where reproduction and nutritional requirements are in balance.