Age is definetly the biggest factor in antler growth. After that, nutrition will come into play. Protein plots from legumes may help the most during the antler velvet stage. Grains, like corn. can provide late winter energy source that can keep deer in good shape allowing them to attain maximum growth the follow year from your legume plots. Overall, if deer population is around 20 deer per square mile in an agricultural area in my neck of the woods, I believe food plots will have only limited impacts on nutrition and that will be during late winter and late summer.

Many people in my area consider a 2.5 year old deer a trophy. Most of 2.5 year old bucks will score somewhere between 90 and 115 B&C inches in my area. Most hunters never get to see a 3.5 year or older buck in the wild. It' s amazing what a few years of age will produce on a buck' s head.