Most importantly, the animal has to have adequate nutrition. Without adequate nutrition a buck with the genetic background to become the world record white-tailed buck might be less than average. An example of the importance of nutrition was demonstrated by a nine year-old buck that was acquired for breeding in the Mississippi State deer research facility. When acquired the buck had been in a private deer facility in Missouri and had been fed a mostly corn diet the previous year. It should be noted that corn is a very poor quality food for deer except during periods of high-energy drain during cold periods of the year.
Age can also effect a buck's antlers dramatically.
White-tailed deer do not achieve maturity until they are 5 to 8 years of age. We also have been able to demonstrate that there is little relationship between the first year antlers and the antler development a buck will have when he reaches the mature age classes of 5 years or older. By the time a buck has completed his second set of antlers he still has achieved only 25-35 percent of his potential antler development. Another feature that may develop with age is an often-dramatic change in the conformation of a buck's antlers. Stories abound in sporting magazines about how hunters have pursued the same buck from a young age until they developed into full maturity.