Wet Years ....... Racks

[Bowsnbucks]

Has anybody ever noticed bigger racks in wetter years than in drier ones ?? I read that another gent on here mentioned in another thread that he's had a wet year and has seen more big racks this year. I've read articles suggesting that in wetter years, plants take up more minerals and nutrients than in dry years - I guess due to ease of uptake.

What have you guys noticed ??

 

[wiscwhip]

My experience with racks is they always look bigger if they are wet...

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Is that why I don't have any big bucks around this year?

 

[Bill]

I've heard that claimed but never really paid much attention to it. I guess it could be true but I don't know how someone would actually quantify it???

 

[Bill]

My experience with racks is they always look bigger if they are wet...

Maybe not bigger but there is something about a rack that glistens

 

[Catscratch]

I think I've seen the same trend but have no way of knowing for sure. We all now know that it couldn't be due to more mineral uptake by plants in wet yrs as wild deer herds aren't limited due to minerals (per un-cited necropsy studies).
This might be anecdotal so take it for what it's worth. I know several guys who have a lifetime of earning a living with cattle. They claim that wt gains on cattle are very dependent on water quality. On summers where pasture ponds start to dry up, water becomes stale and muddy, and water sources becomes farther apart gains are less. They keep records and are meticulous in their data so I trust them on their findings. There is certainly more to it than just fresh drinking water though as plants dry up at the same time and heat is generally a factor when it gets that dry too.

 

[Boll Weevil]

Just a thought but wonder if this theory might apply more in more arid climates like TX, OK, or western KS and NE. In some of these areas a normal year can be pretty darn dry. In an abnormal year with above average rainfall I can't help but think the lush and highly available explosion of natural forage has some impact on antler development.

 

[SwampCat]

My taxidermist says more big racks come in during dry years. But that could well be a result of less available food, deer moving more to feed, and more of the big ones are killed

 

[wiscwhip]

I can tell you from personal experience that in very dry years in central WI, the racks become VERY brittle and are prone to breakage. During the 1988-89 drought years, almost every buck we harvested had tines or whole sides snapped off. We even had one buck with a main beam break in half as we were dragging it from the woods.

 

[JFK52]

My helper on the farm has family land that is mostly low and swampy outside of Wautoma, WI. It borders a large tract of public land that is low and swampy. He claims that in wet years, which this year certainly qualifies as one, the racks on the deer taken from the family land are bigger than normal. Most hunters do not want to try to walk through swamp land yet alone have to drag out a deer through it. He presents no scientific evidence, just years of family hunting experiences.
My thoughts are that less people hunt the adjoining public land when it is impossible to navigate through it. So more bucks might make their way to the food plots on his land.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

I know everywhere is different but..... Keep in mind that the amount of rainfall, if it has an effect on antler growth, will only make a difference during the antler growing season.

We had an extremely dry July and August in my area. It has also been an extremely wet October so far.

 

[Catscratch]

Knowing what I know about cattle combined with the dry/hot summers we have here I've hypothesized that a wet late summer provides better forage for the winter, which provides better health going into spring, which (if wet) provides better antler growing conditions. So a "wet yr" would ideally be from July to July...

 

[SWIFFY]

I, 100%, do not believe that rainfall has an effect on antler growth in that way.

So soybeans are 19% protein, clover is 30% protein... are you saying those numbers change depending on how wet or dry it is? No.

I think the available food is what it is. If the amount of food can not sustain the current population of deer, and theres little food because theres little rain.... that I can see. But to say the 5 bucks on my 80 acres (for example) will grow bigger eating the clover and beans on a wet year compared to a dry one, simply does not make sense.

There are too many factors out of our hands to put a finger on any one thing. Just do what you can do!

 

[mglenn005]

My experience with racks is they always look bigger if they are wet...

This deserves more than an upvote.


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[sagittarius]

I've read articles suggesting that in wetter years, plants take up more minerals and nutrients than in dry years - I guess due to ease of uptake. What have you guys noticed ??

With optimal fertilization and soil moisture plants will be their healthiest, thus produce the most protein. With too little, or too much moisture plants can have nutrient deficiencies and stressed. With antler growth in the spring through mid summer, that whole time period would have to be optimum for protein development, and max growth. OR, one could theorize the calcium buildup in the body occurred the previous year, for max antler growth? Healthy soil + adequate moisture = healthy plants = max antler growth. Too many variables to isolate one item.

 

[FarmerDan]

Here in the South - well south of the mason dixon - claiming a wetter year implicitly means it was preceded by a hot dry year. In hot dry years we tend to sit around and drink lots of beer rather than hunting. This results in a decreased buck harvest allowing the old boys to get older. The wet year is cooler and more huntable. Less excuse to sit around and drink beer. Out we go to shoot the big boys we only talked about the previous year. Beer drinking resumes at dark. The breweries have nothing to worry about. You will find no correlation between gallons of beer consumed and number of big bucks harvested! However I’m sure we will start a thread asking if anyone else has seen this connection...

 

[Catscratch]

Here in the South - well south of the mason dixon - claiming a wetter year implicitly means it was preceded by a hot dry year. In hot dry years we tend to sit around and drink lots of beer rather than hunting. This results in a decreased buck harvest allowing the old boys to get older. The wet year is cooler and more huntable. Less excuse to sit around and drink beer. Out we go to shoot the big boys we only talked about the previous year. Beer drinking resumes at dark. The breweries have nothing to worry about. You will find no correlation between gallons of beer consumed and number of big bucks harvested! However I’m sure we will start a thread asking if anyone else has seen this connection...

Lol, thanks! :)

 

[Catscratch]

I, 100%, do not believe that rainfall has an effect on antler growth in that way.

So soybeans are 19% protein, clover is 30% protein... are you saying those numbers change depending on how wet or dry it is? No.

I think the available food is what it is. If the amount of food can not sustain the current population of deer, and theres little food because theres little rain.... that I can see. But to say the 5 bucks on my 80 acres (for example) will grow bigger eating the clover and beans on a wet year compared to a dry one, simply does not make sense.

There are too many factors out of our hands to put a finger on any one thing. Just do what you can do!

Agreed 100%, but where I live a dry summer means that clover is brown and beans are being disked under for insurance claims. Deer don't eat much of either in those conditions. Native habitat is much the same in those conditions as vegetation gets dry and crusty vs lush.

 

[MickT]

My helper on the farm has family land that is mostly low and swampy outside of Wautoma, WI. It borders a large tract of public land that is low and swampy. He claims that in wet years, which this year certainly qualifies as one, the racks on the deer taken from the family land are bigger than normal. Most hunters do not want to try to walk through swamp land yet alone have to drag out a deer through it. He presents no scientific evidence, just years of family hunting experiences.
My thoughts are that less people hunt the adjoining public land when it is impossible to navigate through it. So more bucks might make their way to the food plots on his land.

Another possibility is the higher than normal water moves deer to higher ground, making them more accessible to hunters.


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[Tree Spud]

Has anybody ever noticed bigger racks in wetter years than in drier ones ?? I read that another gent on here mentioned in another thread that he's had a wet year and has seen more big racks this year. I've read articles suggesting that in wetter years, plants take up more minerals and nutrients than in dry years - I guess due to ease of uptake.

What have you guys noticed ??

So if you want to assume some plants have better vascular uptake in wetter years, they can only take up what is locally available to their root systems. That would mean top-down nutrient delivery as water is the driver ... correct?

This would mean that annual plants/crops with shallow root systems would benefit most. How do you account for all the food species that become stressed by excessive water? As deer are browsers, all other food sources that are stressed by wet conditions might be limited.

In my experience, the best years for bigger rack development is to be in an area that has good genetics & good soil to support those genetics. The others factors that matter are ... early spring green up and good early summer conditions to support nutritional needs ... and neighbors that stop shooting every 1.5 - 3.5 year deer that they see.

In any ecosystem, every event we want to rationalize as a positive, can also be a negative, and vice versa.