Using cast antler characteristics to profile quality of white‐tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus populations

Cast white‐tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus antlers from the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant (McAAP) in southeastern Oklahoma were used to assess distributions of selected antler characteristics, illustrate variation in antler development in a white‐tailed deer population under a quality deer management program, and determine if harvest statistics accurately reflect antler characteristics of the population. We systematically searched cultivated food plots on the McAAP during the winter of 1995 for freshly cast antlers (N = 77). Gross scores of antlers averaged 41.9 but were slightly skewed (skewness = ‐0.283) towards larger antlers, suggesting that a large proportion of the population is comprised of mature animals (≥3.5 years). Mean beam length, basal circumference, and number of points were significantly greater among cast antlers than among antlers of deer harvested by hunters. These data illustrate the results of a management and harvest strategy designed to produce quality white‐tailed deer, and indicate that data collected from hunter harvested deer may not be representative of the population.