Age can be determined by hunters. If Oklahoma hunters want trophy bucks, they need to be willing to pass on young bucks and let them grow into potentially Boone & Crockett class animals.
As far as nutrition, calcium and phosphorus are the most important minerals for antler growth. Shaw said.
Providing supplements to a deer herd can help if the animals are not getting those minerals in their forage, but Shaw cautions that "there's not a sack out there you can throw on the ground and grow you a big deer."
Oklahoma also seems to produce more non-typical trophy bucks than other states, at least by Boone & Crockett standards.
Non-typical whitetail entries represent 37 percent of the total whitetails listed in Boone & Crockett records.
But in Oklahoma, the non-typical ratio is much higher, as 89 of the 163 Oklahoma whitetail entries in Boone & Crockett are non-typical bucks, or 55 percent.
Shaw doesn't have an explanation for it, other than it is a little easier to get a non-typical in the Boone & Crockett record book.
Genetics or an injury can produce a non-typical rack, antlers with abnormal points.
Some hunters prefer a trophy buck with a perfect symmetrical rack. Others want antlers with unique characteristics, such as drop tines.
"That's what keeps Braum's in business," Shaw said. "Different flavors."
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