Antler Growth * The above photo's are provided courtesy of Stripe who can be found on the Aldeer Talk Forum, thanks Stripe! He caught this fine buck on his game camera visiting the feeder throughout the growing season. Whitetail deer antlers sure do grow fast! Antler Growth. As you can see in the photo images above, whitetail antlers grow exceptionally fast. Here's some facts about Antlers! Antlers are not Horns. Antlers Shed, Horns Don't. You cannot tell how old a buck is from the number of points it has. However, an older deer will usually have a larger rack than younger deer. Antlers are living bone while in velvet, and dead bone after the velvet sheds. Antler growth depends on year-round nutrition and genetics. Bucks store minerals and nutrients all year specifically for antler growth. Nutrition is more important than genetics for antler growth. A buck in a nutritionally poor environment will never reach it maximum potential. Non typical or deformed racks are usually caused by genetics, but can also be caused by injury or disease. It is true that if a buck injures a leg, the antler on the other side of its body can grow abnormally.