Spike bucks, shoot or let them walk?

With gun season upon us here is some pretty good research data from TPWD I thought was interesting reading and might be of help to those out there wrestling with this issue.

Warning, it's a long read!

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_rp_w7000_0827.pdf

The state research is pretty definitive on the subject. I especially like their research displaying what spikes eventually grow into.

We usually begin with worst-case offenders, spikes and trash 2.5 or older. If those get taken out we then turn to the 1.5 yo spikes.

I had a chance to bowhunt back when bowhunting wasn't cool back in the early seventies (recurve) and it was a draw hunt on the Kerr wildlife management area, and if you believe this, not everyone who got drawn showed up.

We had our choice of where we wanted to hunt and had a large area to choose from, and pretty much got a guided tour since there were so few of us.

I was impressed to say the least about the quality of deer we saw. We had a blast, and we were able to harvest a couple does, but that program was in it's infancy and it was still impressive to see first hand.

i won't shoot a yearling spike.

wont do it.

i've had 90% of my yearling bucks have spikes, then the next year have 90% of my 2.5 year olds sport 8 points.

It's not really worth arguing about.

Wow, seems pretty clear. I need to turn in my doe tags for spike tags. I've always been on the fence on this one, I guess there is still an argument that these are penned deer and not wild, I just would have a hard time thinking wild ones would react much different.

I wouldnt take a yearling anything

If your hungery shoot it, if your kid or grand wants it as their first deer shoot it, shoot it because it snorted at you and made you mad, shoot it cause it ate the garden, shoot it cuz you can, but don't shoot it if you think your changing the genetics of your herd, cuz your not.

Your and my both together won't get a cup of coffee.

Your right that only 4 cents...fine You win kill them all that don't have 10 points at 1.5 years old..

Might not change the genetics but it also can't hurt. It is one fewer low-potential mouth for the habitat to support, and it will keep a 3.5 5-point from running shop in the area and running off the quality young bucks.

100% this

I have shotem,letem walk. But if it were my property a lot of variables would go in to my decision.If the deer was an old buck,heavy neck,sagging belly and coat. He would be dead. Now when conditions are tough 1-1/2 yr old's spikes should be aloud to walk.When conditions are good to great and your seeing to many spike then you might have to start thinning them out. And i like what BoBo said about letting your kids or grand kids shoot them. Mark

The problem with having nice bucks every where is that too many hunters don't practice management... It's sad to see a nice six point in the back of a pick up knowing that it could have been a 160 class in a few years.
There are plenty of cull bucks, spikes are not cull buck unless they are two year old with 12 inch spikes, then it's time for the freezer. Get them out of the gene pool!

Thank you

^^^^^THIS^^^^^

If yall are afraid of taking a yearling, call me, I'll take em out for ya.

if your that hard up....I'll send you a gift card to golden corral

You're just wanting to kill something ain't ya?

Make it chilis and we have a deal.

Yep, but I'll shoot the hell out of them yearling spikes. You gotta start somewhere.

This is my mind set. You never know what you just killed and there is just too little meat for you effort.