White-tailed deer are an icon of Texas hunting and are the most sought-after big game animal in the state (and the world for that matter). This is mostly due to the sheer prevalence of white-tailed deer and deer hunters– a result of the success story of white-tailed deer management which brought the species back from a couple-hundred-thousand in the early 1900’s to well over five million currently in Texas5. Part of effective white-tailed deer management relies on understanding the animals, both the requirements to grow healthy deer and the struggles the animals face that inhibit them from reaching their full potential (antler growth, reproductive success, body weight and composition, etc.)
The three things that are required to grow healthy deer with great antlers is genetics, age, and nutrition. Though respectable deer can be grown and managed with two of the three criteria, it takes all three to make an exceptional deer herd. Nutrition may be the most important and influenceable factor of the three. It is the most influenceable because any ranch can improve the availability of nutritious feed; some ranches do not have the opportunity to change the existing genetics and low fence properties cannot control the age of the deer their neighbors harvest. The reason nutrition is also most important is studies have shown that the effect of maternal nutrition on a fawn in utero (while the fawn is in the doe’s womb) can be more impactful on that deer’s future antler growth than any amount of nutrition after birth2,4. This means that a ranch with malnutritioned or undernourished does during the pregnancy period between early spring and late summer could result in an entire generation of nutritionally stunted fawns; fawns that will grow up to be does that are smaller in body size with a lesser reproductive success, and bucks that are unable to grow trophy antlers.
Another important aspect of good “off-season” nutrition for a doe is with regards to the lactation (milk production) period. Lactation is arguably one of the most physiologically stressful and demanding periods of a female deer’s life. It occurs in Texas when temperatures are frequently and consistently in the triple digits and the amount of available nutritious forage is often dried and declining, forcing deer to shift to second and third choice browse selection. If a doe is unable to satisfy the dietary requirements for her own survival, she may even abandon her fawn (or likely fawns since white-tailed deer often have a fawning rate of 70+%). Increased fawn mortality means a greater number of carcasses on the landscape, which has been shown to increase coyote activity3, and may further exacerbate fawn mortalities by promoting opportunistic predation.
Spring and summer nutrition is also directly important for bucks. Some of the most nutritionally and energy demanding times for bucks are during the antler growing period, which occurs immediately after the breeding stress of the rut. Bucks can go days without food or water while trailing a doe in estrus, burning an amazing amount of unreplenished calories to sexual competition and reproduction, leading to dramatic loss of weight and body condition.

A buck then sheds his antlers at the end of the breeding season, typically between late February and April, following decreased testosterone levels. The process of regenerating a new set of velvet antlers begins within a couple of days of the buck casting his previous antlers. For a buck to put bone on his head by way of antlers, the buck must first have the proper nutrition to rebuild muscle and fat for the coming winter breeding season. Research has shown good summer nutrition can improve both body condition and antler size by more than 10% when compared to white-tailed deer under the same environmental conditions but with a lesser quality diet1.
To provide the best opportunity for a deer herd to maximize its productivity, whether that be antler size, body condition, fawning rates and recruitment (survival to breeding age) rates, etc., a balanced diet that is available year-round goes a long way. That means making sure the deer have access to plenty of feed with high amount of protein, sure, but also carbohydrates and lipids for energy and fat production and important minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and copper. It also means providing access to said supplemental nutrients and feed all year– not just during the deer census and hunting seasons of fall and winter.
Corn is a great attractant for hunting season but is nutritionally poor (only really contributing starches which can be utilized for supplemental carbohydrates) but other grains, seeds, and feed options with more nutritional content is recommended. This could include alfalfa, soybeans, peanuts, whole cotton seeds, sunflowers, and/or a pelleted protein feed, just to name a few excellent supplemental feed options. There are a number of well-rounded pelleted feed rations created specifically for white-tailed deer that are commercially available, but the consultation of a certified herd animal nutritionist can help you create a formulated feed ration that is specific to your ranch.
Food plots are another option for providing supplemental feed for wildlife, but generally require more time, maintenance, and specialized machinery to cultivate. If a food plot is the desired means of providing supplemental feed, broad-leafed plants such as cowpeas, clovers, sunflowers, legumes (beans), etc. are some of the most palatable and nutritious for deer, but cereal grains such as oats, wheat, and millet are also options. A wildlife food plot that involves a mix of several nutritious, palatable plants like those listed above may be even more effective at supplementing nutrition and working to attract deer to the area. One should consult with a local AgriLife extension agents, agronomist, or farmers to get advice on which plants grow best in the area of interest and what all is involved in the creation and maintenance of the desired food plot before initiating .

- Bartoskewitz ML, Hewitt DG, Pitts JS, Bryant FC. 2003. Supplemental Feed Use by Free-Ranging White-Tailed Deer in Southern Texas. Wildlife Society Bulletin 31(4):1218–1228.
- Freeman ED, Larsen RT, Clegg K, McMillan BR. 2013. Long-Lasting Effects of Maternal Condition in Free-Ranging Cervids. PLoS ONE 8(3):e58373.
- Kamler JF, Ballard WB, Gilliland RL, Mote K. 2004. Coyote (Canis latrans) Movements Relative to Cattle (Bos taurus) Carcass Areas. Western North American Naturalist 64(1):53–58.
- Monteith KL, Schmitz LE, Jenks JA, Delger JA, Bowyer RT. 2009. Growth of Male White-Tailed Deer: Consequences of Maternal Effects. Journal of Mammalogy 90(3):651–660.
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). 2024. White-tailed deer Management. https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/game_management/deer/#:~:text=An%20estimated%205.3%20million%20white,to%20the%20most%20remote%20rangelands.
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