Post by Woody Williams on Oct 15, 2009 8:51:30 GMT -5
I thought this is an important enough subject to have it's own thread. Here is my take.. Your's may vary..
Data from the Quality Whitetails Magazine Soils Article
I had heard that Dr. Steve Demaris and some others were working on a study as to the relationship of soil composition as to size of antlers. Interesting. I asked Steve about it and he said that the study is done, but the report has not been completely finalized. He did direct me to an article written in the QDMA magazine that detailed his findings. He also said that they are starting a phase two and studying more data that they are in the process of acquiring.
I feel that the results that Dr. Steve Demarais, Dr. Bronson Strickland and William McKinley acquired are astounding. Thanks to them and Bryan Kinkel for the following..
In theJune 2008 issue of Quality Whitetails magazine, Dr. Steve Demarais, Dr. Bronson Strickland and William McKinley published the results of their study that involved antler measurements of 18,000 bucks harvested from 765 properties over an 11-year period in Mississippi. The harvested bucks were broken into three categories: those harvested from areas with highly fertile soils (the Delta region), moderately fertile soils (the Thin Loess region) and soils of low fertility (the Lower Coastal Plain region). Breaking down the antler measurement distributions by age and soil fertility produces some very illuminating results.
In the graph below, the gross antler scores of 3 1/2 year-old bucks from each of the three soil regions are displayed. This data graphically displays the differences in bucks form different soil composition areas. To be honest, I am surprised by the massive differences.
In the graph, the brown bell-curve is the gross antler scores of bucks from high fertility areas, the red bell-curve is the distribution of gross antlers scores from moderate soil fertility areas, and the yellow bell-curve is gross scores from low fertility soils. The vertically dashed lines of each color are the average gross score for 3 1/2 year-old bucks from the corresponding soil fertility area.
What is shocking was the average gross score for 3 1/2 year-old bucks from low soil fertility areas was approximately 27 gross inches less than 3 1/2 year-old bucks from high soil fertility areas. Think about that. SAME-AGE BUCKS FROM POOR SOIL AREAS HAD ANTLERS AVERAGING NEARLY 30 GROSS INCHES LESS THAN BUCKS FROM HIGH SOIL FERTILITY AREAS. That is how huge of a role soil plays in antler development.
Another interesting bit of data is comparing 5 1/2 year-old bucks from low soil fertility areas versus 3 1/2 year-old bucks from high soil fertility areas. The graph below shows that mature bucks from low soil fertility (blue bell-curve) produce nearly identical--and actually slightly LOWER SCORING ANTLERS--than 3 1/2 year-old bucks (red bell-curve) from high soil fertility areas.
Now that's not to say that poor soil fertility areas CAN'T produce a few whopper bucks. They can, and the Mississippi data shows that. Even in low fertility areas, a few 3 1/2 year-old bucks were in the 140s and a few 5 1/2 year-old bucks were in the 160s. But the PERCENT of bucks that reached those scores is very low compared to better soil fertility areas. In fact, in high soil fertility areas, 5 times as many mature bucks grew 150+ racks than in low soil fertility areas.
There is very little doubt that soils pay a very important part of a deer's antler development. It takes certain soils to consistently produce huge racks.
They are alfisol soil and mollisol soils.
A comparison of a USA map of Mollisol soils to a map of the B & C and P & Y entries pretty well points that out. However, since record books are swayed by a bunch of different variables the corresponding maps are not proof positive. Dr. Demaris’s extensive study is a confirmation that soils do play a huge part in deer developing larger antlers.
The mollisol map……..
Mollisols are the soils of grassland ecosystems. They are characterized by a thick, dark surface horizon. This fertile surface horizon, known as a mollic epipedon, results from the long-term addition of organic materials derived from plant roots.
Mollisols primarily occur in the middle latitudes and are extensive in prairie regions such as the Great Plains of the US. Globally, they occupy ~7.0% of the ice-free land area. In the US, they are the most extensive soil order, accounting for ~21.5% of the land area.
Mollisols are among some of the most important and productive agricultural soils in the world and are extensively used for this purpose. Mollisols are divided into 8 suborders: Albolls, Aquolls, Rendolls, Gelolls, Cryolls, Xerolls, Ustolls, and Udolls.
Here's the alfisol soil map. The darker brown, the higher percent of the local soils are alfisols.
Alfisols are moderately leached forest soils that have relatively high native fertility. These soils are well developed and contain a subsurface horizon in which clays have accumulated. Alfisols are mostly found in temperate humid and subhumid regions of the world.
Alfisols occupy ~10.1% of the global ice-free land area. In the US, they account for ~13.9% of the land area. Alfisols support about 17% of the world's population.
The combination of generally favorable climate and high native fertility allows Alfisols to be very productive soils for both agricultural and silvicultural use.
Alfisols are divided into 5 suborders: Aqualfs, Cryalfs, Udalfs, Ustalfs, and Xeralfs.
And for all those who say "Why does south TX produce such good bucks--it's a desert." True it is a desert, but look at the alfisol soils in that area. When they get rain, they grow some large-antlered bucks. Plus the serious hunter density control down there allows for lots of bucks to reach maturity.
If we could combine the alfisol map with the mollisol map, we would have the areas that produce the largest antlered whitetail bucks in America. That map would look much like this one…..
The B & C and P & Y map…
Data from the Quality Whitetails Magazine Soils Article
I had heard that Dr. Steve Demaris and some others were working on a study as to the relationship of soil composition as to size of antlers. Interesting. I asked Steve about it and he said that the study is done, but the report has not been completely finalized. He did direct me to an article written in the QDMA magazine that detailed his findings. He also said that they are starting a phase two and studying more data that they are in the process of acquiring.
I feel that the results that Dr. Steve Demarais, Dr. Bronson Strickland and William McKinley acquired are astounding. Thanks to them and Bryan Kinkel for the following..
In theJune 2008 issue of Quality Whitetails magazine, Dr. Steve Demarais, Dr. Bronson Strickland and William McKinley published the results of their study that involved antler measurements of 18,000 bucks harvested from 765 properties over an 11-year period in Mississippi. The harvested bucks were broken into three categories: those harvested from areas with highly fertile soils (the Delta region), moderately fertile soils (the Thin Loess region) and soils of low fertility (the Lower Coastal Plain region). Breaking down the antler measurement distributions by age and soil fertility produces some very illuminating results.
In the graph below, the gross antler scores of 3 1/2 year-old bucks from each of the three soil regions are displayed. This data graphically displays the differences in bucks form different soil composition areas. To be honest, I am surprised by the massive differences.
In the graph, the brown bell-curve is the gross antler scores of bucks from high fertility areas, the red bell-curve is the distribution of gross antlers scores from moderate soil fertility areas, and the yellow bell-curve is gross scores from low fertility soils. The vertically dashed lines of each color are the average gross score for 3 1/2 year-old bucks from the corresponding soil fertility area.
What is shocking was the average gross score for 3 1/2 year-old bucks from low soil fertility areas was approximately 27 gross inches less than 3 1/2 year-old bucks from high soil fertility areas. Think about that. SAME-AGE BUCKS FROM POOR SOIL AREAS HAD ANTLERS AVERAGING NEARLY 30 GROSS INCHES LESS THAN BUCKS FROM HIGH SOIL FERTILITY AREAS. That is how huge of a role soil plays in antler development.
Another interesting bit of data is comparing 5 1/2 year-old bucks from low soil fertility areas versus 3 1/2 year-old bucks from high soil fertility areas. The graph below shows that mature bucks from low soil fertility (blue bell-curve) produce nearly identical--and actually slightly LOWER SCORING ANTLERS--than 3 1/2 year-old bucks (red bell-curve) from high soil fertility areas.
Now that's not to say that poor soil fertility areas CAN'T produce a few whopper bucks. They can, and the Mississippi data shows that. Even in low fertility areas, a few 3 1/2 year-old bucks were in the 140s and a few 5 1/2 year-old bucks were in the 160s. But the PERCENT of bucks that reached those scores is very low compared to better soil fertility areas. In fact, in high soil fertility areas, 5 times as many mature bucks grew 150+ racks than in low soil fertility areas.
There is very little doubt that soils pay a very important part of a deer's antler development. It takes certain soils to consistently produce huge racks.
They are alfisol soil and mollisol soils.
A comparison of a USA map of Mollisol soils to a map of the B & C and P & Y entries pretty well points that out. However, since record books are swayed by a bunch of different variables the corresponding maps are not proof positive. Dr. Demaris’s extensive study is a confirmation that soils do play a huge part in deer developing larger antlers.
The mollisol map……..
Mollisols are the soils of grassland ecosystems. They are characterized by a thick, dark surface horizon. This fertile surface horizon, known as a mollic epipedon, results from the long-term addition of organic materials derived from plant roots.
Mollisols primarily occur in the middle latitudes and are extensive in prairie regions such as the Great Plains of the US. Globally, they occupy ~7.0% of the ice-free land area. In the US, they are the most extensive soil order, accounting for ~21.5% of the land area.
Mollisols are among some of the most important and productive agricultural soils in the world and are extensively used for this purpose. Mollisols are divided into 8 suborders: Albolls, Aquolls, Rendolls, Gelolls, Cryolls, Xerolls, Ustolls, and Udolls.
Here's the alfisol soil map. The darker brown, the higher percent of the local soils are alfisols.
Alfisols are moderately leached forest soils that have relatively high native fertility. These soils are well developed and contain a subsurface horizon in which clays have accumulated. Alfisols are mostly found in temperate humid and subhumid regions of the world.
Alfisols occupy ~10.1% of the global ice-free land area. In the US, they account for ~13.9% of the land area. Alfisols support about 17% of the world's population.
The combination of generally favorable climate and high native fertility allows Alfisols to be very productive soils for both agricultural and silvicultural use.
Alfisols are divided into 5 suborders: Aqualfs, Cryalfs, Udalfs, Ustalfs, and Xeralfs.
And for all those who say "Why does south TX produce such good bucks--it's a desert." True it is a desert, but look at the alfisol soils in that area. When they get rain, they grow some large-antlered bucks. Plus the serious hunter density control down there allows for lots of bucks to reach maturity.
If we could combine the alfisol map with the mollisol map, we would have the areas that produce the largest antlered whitetail bucks in America. That map would look much like this one…..
The B & C and P & Y map…
