We have killed 3 that were older than 1.5 in 15 years on our lease.

I have harvested a spike the past two years I wish I wouldn't have. Both times the bodies looked bigger than what I walked up on after I shot. We do need to harvest more deer than what we do on our lease, but I think I will wait to see another buck that I know is 2 1/2 yrs old standing beside it to get a better idea of spikes age and size.

The OP made a legal and ethical kill, and will get no criticism from me. Each to their own. That spike will sure taste better than any 5.5year old tough arsed buck would.

But to the spike will always be a spike statement, simply not true. Here's a buck that was taken off our E tx place during bow season this year. he started life as a spike and we watched him grow up to this.


Not a monster, but a very respectable buck for where we hunt.

Looks like a 1.5yr old to me too. Some people shoot them and some don't it's up to the shooter. Your statement about hearing that "spikes are always spikes" is absolutely not true though. Some turn out to be nice deer. We don't shoot 1.5yr old spikes. Don't usually have many but we do see a few. I suspect due to being born late as has been mentioned already We have yet to see a 2.5yr old spike on any of the places I hunt in NW Tx. I had a yearling spike with about 3" antlers a couple of years ago. He had a big scar on his shoulder. The next year he was an exceptional 9pt 2.5yr old. I hope he makes it 2 more years so I can show pics of him at different stages in life and show what he turned into.

Not really true, the reason for the spike tag in antler restriction counties was IMO to appease some of the meat hunters, made the AR's easier to take by adding a second buck to the bag limit. There are some studies that show spikes don't have the potential to grow as big of antlers when they mature as yearling bucks that are 4 points or greater, but this is not always the case.

I believe you are correct about AR's and appeasing meat hunters!!! In my County, Tyler, we were a 2 buck, 2 doe County to start with!!! The explanation we got for AR's is to save a lot of the young bucks from being killed!!! In my little niche in the County we have a problem with the narrow racks genetics and so the older mature bucks are being saved also. My point to all this is that they could have done the same thing of saving a lot of young bucks by reducing the limit to 1 buck!!!

Unless the deer has some marking on the body, how would you ever know he grew to be bigger than a spike. Mainly to the guy with the picture.

Don't get me wrong I am a fan of the AR, its working great in the counties I hunt lot more bucks making to the next year, seeing more mature bucks every year. They work, I just think their reasoning for the spike tag had more to do with increasing hunter opportunity than culling out weaker antler genetics.

Look at that deer's right front leg in the pic. Notice the deformity? He got hung up in a fence or something his first year, as a spike, and that's how we got to watch him grow year after year. His name was "the gimp".

Now I'm not making the point that all spikes will grow to be better than avg deer. Just saying most of them will not be spikes year after year. And this one sample showed us what they can become if left to grow. That buck is 4.5 years old. Again, not a monster, but an above avg buck for our place.

Even though I'm not a fan of AR's but I'm agreeing with you on the point of the spike tag is more to appease the hunter than culling bucks!!! All I'm saying is that I see bucks, some mature, every year at my lease unfortunately they do not meet the 13in spread and the young ones I see will not ever make the spread!!! Tyler County was a 2 buck County and is still a 2 buck County, 1 spike. 1 13in spread, and yes it was to appease hunters there!!! I just wished they had lowered the bag limit instead!!!

I dont mean this in a bad way, but if you are realy trying to get educated or learn something then quit looking at the horns for a little while and focus on the things that will actualy give you insight on the age of a deer. I know that I am no profesion by a long shot, but the only thing 1.5 and 3.5 year old deer have in comon is that they are deer. Pay more attention to body features. Best of luck to yal.

matt

What you did was legal so I say you didn't do anything wrong.

If you're selective on the deer you're taking like you mentioned then that spike wont make too much of a difference. We have 1800 acres in Cuero TX and we take spike(young and old) and the deer population is very good. Cuero is also an AR county and we've taken several 12's 10's and 8's up to the 150's which for our area is good.

I wouldn't worry about it too much, just enjoy the tender back strap you now have

I say do what you wanna do. Yes they can and will put on more points, some will catch up with the rest, a lot won't...but if you are hurting for decent bucks...the more bucks you leave on the place the better your odds are of finding one that you like when they get age on them.

congrats on your deer

Question;If you let a spike reach 3.5 yeasrs old and still stays a spike how many times has he bred does during that period?Seems you are taking a chance of alot of future spikes.Im i wrong?

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/game_management/deer/genetics/

I found a lot of good info from this study, I shot a spike earlier this year, we have plenty of deer and nice young bucks, however someone else on our lease has different opinions. I say shoot a spike but there are many differing opinions. He tasted great BTW!!

From the trail cam photo this deer is 1 1/2. Long legs and a slick long body with no belly. Depending on when in the spring it was born and the nutrition that it recieved will determine the antlers that it grows the first year. I have seen nubbin bucks to small six points in the same 1 1/2 year class on the same property in a season. The old adage of once a spike always a spike is not true. Let the young ones walk, if at 3 years they are still a spike take them out because they can do a lot of damage to other bucks with those rapiers in a fight.

Here is the research that Deer and Deer Hunting put together.

www.deeranddeerhunting.com/article/thecullingmythexposed

his teeth. He didn't have but maybe 6 or 7 in the front, no big teeth to age a deer by, just a hard gum, it felt as though they were supposed to be there and had fallen out


They don't have top front teeth period ever... And 1.5 year old deer have missing milk teeth on the bottom jaw

I'm not lookin at the antlers to age. In my mind, its always been if its a spike its a spike, shoot regardless of age. I knew he was young, not 1.5 but young, but I was shooting regardless on the age because it was a spike that, to me, wasn't going to get any bigger. I won't be anymore because we have low deer numbers and if it is going to get bigger, we'll let him walk unless he's 3.5 or older

My question is, in y'alls opinion, the right move or the wrong move because I'm assuming by the teeth problem he was a very young deer. Still a spike, but a young one. Or is there maybe another variable I'm missing?[/quote]

Congrats... Nice buck.

I will simply put it as...we have quite a few spikes every year that are resident feeder hogs on a property... our 2.5yo crew the following year usually looks decent.

??????????????????????????????????????Anyone with a good answer/Nice deer deer meat is deer meat reguardless what some say.

that is pretty intersting that study goes against the one that TPWD did at Kerr WMA that I found. At my buddies ranch down the road from the WMA, they are harvesting all spikes and were even going as far to kill a lot of bucks 5 points or less if they had no browtines depending on age, however they are high fenced, overpopulated in general but especially with spikes and even some unicorns, and managing for trophys and they have a ton of 2.5 and 3.5 year old big 10 and 8s, so it all just depends on the situation you are in. if you don't have many bucks, I would say leave them if you dont have many bucks or deer in general, but if you have plenty of nice young bucks I think that harvesting spikes is a good idea no matter the age. Taking spikes out is obviously a priority in the overall management of the herds in the entire state, since there is the late spike doe season as an incentive to take more spikes and does if the freezer is not full.

It depends...on several things. How many bucks are in the herd? How many older bucks are in that herd? What is the buck to doe ratio? How large body wise and aggressive is this buck? Answer to how many doe a buck can breed is dependent on all of these answers and more. Chances are slim that he will be a spike at 3.5 but it can and has happened.