Consensus on 2022 antler growth

[Muskrat24]

So what is everyone’s opinion for 2022 antler growth? From what I have saw so far I’d say slightly below average. A few of the older age class deer that I have sheds to from last spring haven’t showed up yet which is typical because they show up after shedding velvet and they will tell me how they grew in 2022. Opinions?

 

[newfarmer]

What I’ve seen- I don’t think it was a great year. This might be my worst year ever for buck sightings though

 

[northcedar]

Bad year for sightings here too. I had a buck show up that was a 125ish 8 last year as a 3.5 and he looks to be mid 130s as a 4.5. Was hoping he'd be more.

 

[Daver]

I haven't seen enough pics yet to say for sure, but in the past when it has been this dry over the summer I have noticed that antler growth is suppressed somewhat. Meh...there should still be some good ones around and I am looking forward to chasing them.

 

[tall@wide]

My cameras show average growth. I had a mature 8pt that stayed the same with no growth, and a mature 10 pt that got weak on one side this year. All in all, average growth.

 

[Hardwood11]

Average … nothing spectacular.

 

[Snail3496]

I have seen very poor growth with hardly any making any sort of jump. Some in their primes (4.5-6.5) are even smaller this year. Does anyone have theories? Drought?

 

[northcedar]

Iowa was very hot this summer right? Stress the deer out?

 

[IowaBowHunter1983]

Poor.

 

[Daver]

Iowa was very hot this summer right? Stress the deer out?

I have watched a podcast or two that suggest that the lack of moisture in the plants(food) for the deer in a prolonged drought just don't provide the same highest level of nutrition and/or create a little stress that holds the antler development back a little. Although I am not enough of a biologist to explain it better than that, it does stand to reason for me and I consequently accept it as so.

I do know that we see a little less antler growth than we would expect, or consider to be normal, in super dry years like this one.

 

[Big8s1992]

Poor to average at best for the majority of the bucks I've located from last year so far..three bucks out of about 20 that I'd say has made a good jump

 

[northcedar]

Some bucks finally just showed up to our farm (which is a doe factory) on yesterday's card pulls. I'd say very poor antler growth. We didn't have a dry growing season at all. Pretty decent rains scattered throughout the summer. Not sure if whole farms will be record breaking but some individual farms probably will be. Creek still has water flowing.

 

[Hardwood11]

I’d anyone else seeing more spikes this year than normal ?? I certainly have .

 

[Stoney]

Most of the older bucks in my area do not bed on our farm. The two that I can positively identify do not appear to have increased much in antler size. I’ll be curious to see the results later when I can get more bucks on camera and review.

 

[Muskrat24]

I’d anyone else seeing more spikes this year than normal ?? I certainly have .View attachment 123125More than normal number of spikes doesn’t bother me all that much as it tells me there was a decent buck fawn recruitment the prior year which in turn puts more bucks in the pipeline to hopefully outlast the hunters for me to get a crack 3-4 years down the road!