Right or Wrong?
 

Ok I post pictures of bucks on here from my trial camera. I'm wondering if the bucks in the northern states grow faster then bucks here in the southern states.....like VA for example where I live. I have some nice bucks but I've just started noticing people that post pics in the Northern states have pictures of bucks with longer tines. Am I right or wrong?

RE: Right or Wrong?
 

There are plenty of big racks in the North and plenty in the south. The Northern deer are bigger bodied deer and their racks can appear to be smaller when viewing them in the wild.

RE: Right or Wrong?
 

Deer size is a product of environment. The reason the deer are larger in certain areas is because of agriculture. If they have the food to support such growth, they will grow.

RE: Right or Wrong?
 

I figure the deer get bigger the farther north you go. (not neccasary antlers tho) That is because of hard winters, Only the largest survive to pass along there genes. Thats why Canada has such large deer.
RC

RE: Right or Wrong?
 

Northern deer shed their antlers earlier than the southern bucks so they start growing back earlierso they would be larger now.

RE: Right or Wrong?
 

And that's why the Key deer are so small,it's all ways hot there.

RE: Right or Wrong?
 

SoutherenBuckFever I have noticed that to in my own modist opinion I think northeren deer are bigger.I mean look at Canada they have some thumper's up their but you dont see AS much of that kinda size here in ba donka donk town Arkansas.

RE: Right or Wrong?
 

I respectfully disagree. We have deer here in northern New England that are some of the biggest deer in the country. Yet there is very little agriculture. They food source is whatever is availeble in the deep woods.

I agree with Redclub...The deer up north are usually always bigger because they have to be big to survive the nasty, cold winters up here.
The genes are then passed on....

RE: Right or Wrong?
 

It's called begmann's rule.The farther you go from the equator,the bigger the deer get.

RE: Right or Wrong?
 

I don't think he's talking about quality of bucks....I think he's asking if they grow(as in this time of year) faster/sooner than the bucks of the south...

RE: Right or Wrong?
 

They must be finding something in the deep woods that contains plenty of the nutrients they require. Good genes will only take them so far and then they need the nutrition.

RE: Right or Wrong?
 

Of course they need nutrition and they find it in the deep woods, not in agricultural areas. There are no fields, farm land, farm crops etc, which to me is agricultural land. Plus they have inherited genes necessary to grow big enough to survive the northern winters.

If I wanted to shoot a big bodied deer, a deer that dresses well over 200 pounds, I would head north. My chances would be much beter hunting Maine than South Carolina or Florida. Even though the deer in Maine would be struggling to find feed in 4 feet of snow with temps well below zero.

BIG is in the eye of the beholder
 

Body size may be bigger up north but here in TX the horns rival most anything in the world. Depending on what part of TX youre in. And what about Mexico its hotter then hell and not much agriculture to speak of in the brush out there and i believe the true giants are there i just dont think its worth risking being kidnapped or killed to go there

Beat me to it.;)

Look at the record books to see where the biggest bucks are taken. Most are around agricultural areas in the upper midwest. Texas has big bucks, but they are also on larger ranches than what you see in the midwest where controlling the deer herd is easier for the ranch owner. I think if you are looking for the highest percentage of big bucks you head to the midwest on up to canada. As for body size, the further north the bigger the body. Texas racks look bigger because they are on smaller bodies.

Some pretty big bucks come from the Canadian bush. What do they eat? Birch and aspen buds?

It is true that the farther North one goes the deer are larger as a genetic by-product of the environment. That goes for body, but not necessarily for horn growth. Northern deer still need decent genetics and old age to have good horn. This is something that can be duplicated in Southern deer by feed/management. Northern deer seem to have mass genetic, and curiously enough the colder it is for longer time periods the shorter the ears. I have heard that is because they freeze back, but in any case shorter ears can make a bucks' rack look wider.