Old Buck Life Member. Not to cull him, but because I needed deer meat, and I didn't want to shoot a doe in an area with a low deer … It is setting harvest standards that protect the majority of yearling bucks, 1.5 year old bucks with their first set of antlers from harvest. By the time a buck is 7 years old, he may have six tines on each antler. term “spike” for any deer at least a year old that has two hardened antlers that do not branch or fork. We ear-tagged several of the late-born buck fawns. How do you tell if a fawn is a buck or doe? Rainfall ties every other factor together. Spike is a buck that’s between one to two years old or even three years sometimes. Low fence, however 10 properties all mangement minded surrounded by high fence properties. It would be a poor decision to harvest a spike during this time. We limit ourselves to four deer annually. A “spike buck deer” is a buck with no antler having more than one point. Would you say most spike bucks are 1.5 years old? A 4 1/2 year old buck's body is nearly at capacity and so is his antlers. Aren’t spike bucks illegal to take? When you say 4:1, you mean there are 4 does for each buck, correct? Telling a Button Buck and a Spike Apart. Seven others sustained skull damage not affecting pedicle formation, while five had malformed pedicles but no apparent skull injury. This buck looks to be 3.5 years old. That’s the beauty of hunting. You never know what those deer may turn out to be. Hunting can be like that. He tallied spikes in a subset of Wisconsin data and found 29 of 1,588 deer aged 2 1/2 years old (1.8%) were spikes in forested northern Wisconsin. So, using yearling antler points as a harvest criterion should not influence future antler development in the population as a yearling spike buck and a yearling 6-point can have similar sized antlers by age 4.5 years. For my study, I defined spike-on-one-side (SOOS) bucks as any buck having either: 1) a side-to-side difference in gross Boone & Crockett score of greater than 50 percent, or 2) a side-to-side difference of more than two typical antler points. If you’re managing a whitetail property, one of the quickest ways to get more trophy bucks on your land is to pass on younger bucks. What is “Yearling Buck Protection”? Every hunting season, many land managers, owners and hunters debate whether or not they should harvest yearling spike bucks. It is an age old debate in deer camps across the country. Most often they are the products of fawns that were born a bit late the previous spring. There is no reason for a spike not to grow into a giant buck. Poor habitat and/or nutrition is going to lead to poor antler growth and more spikes. I appreciate your input! Let’s dive into these factors to determine whether or not you should shoot the next spike you see next deer season. You’re going to want the spikes to mature into older age classes to see what they become. It can help the herd based on different scenarios like I laid out in this article, but it does not change the gene pool. I have hunted a few places where the genetics were not great and found spikes at older ages, but they were obviously older deer – long spikes that often curved like the main beam normally would. What is a Spike . Most ranches in Texas have cattle that will compete with whitetail for food. Where did your research derive from? D&D Flesheaters, Sep 23, 2004 #11. As for those "sub-legal" spikes, I think in most cases those are year and a half deer. They are not necessarily carrying inferior genetics. Thus, with our intensive nutrition program we were essentially “creating spikes.” Those same late-born fawns finally caught up with those that were born at a “normal time,” but usually not until they were five years old … A spike is a male deer that is 1.5 years of age or older and whose antlers are unbranched (Figure 2). Here are some questions for you to answer. It was well on its way to becoming a heavy-racked buck and, as I was on a managed property, I should have let it walk. My opinions are the fork-spike is a "fork and horn" ( for obvious reasons of it having a fork and a horn) and a 2x2 would be either known as a 2x2, a "fork" or a "forky( a smaller sized fork, usually just very small sized forks, but still considered legal)" Maybe you’re just hunting for meat and antler size doesn’t matter to you. New York Trophy Whitetail: Two Whitetail Deer in Daylight: Whitetail Deer Home >>> Deer Photo Gallery >>> Slide Show - January 1, 2005 >>> 100-0003.jpg FYI, a deer eats around 2 tons of food per year. Ryan Poncia shot this buck – a 21″ velvet-antlered ‘spike’ – in unit 43 in 2010. Our place is an hour north of you. Unfortunately, we cannot control mother nature but the more rain a property gets, the better. This buck eventually grew a 6 pt rack w/o brow tines at 3 yrs old. The most common cause noted was some form of skull damage and resultant pedicle malformation (14 individuals). Beyond this age, bucks may have larger antlers but more of them die of other causes or simply become too cagey to see, … Almost every spike buck can overcome these handicaps through time and nutrition, a. I watched a spike most of last winter that had an injured leg and limped because of it. What I got from reading the article is that yearling spike bucks are usually but not always inferior and should not be culled from a deer herd unless someone is practicing QDM on a very large tract of land with excellent deer habitat. Buck to doe ratio 4:1. Think of some of the little bitty fawns you see in fall. That buck is truly one of a kind. The first group had nine bucks with spike antlers, and the other group had seven bucks with forked antlers of four points or more. Again, it is crucial for these bucks to graduate into older age classes to see what they will become. You can follow Kevin on Instagram (@txsunriseoutdoors) or Twitter (@sunrisetx), Steve Nelle, a Natural Resource Specialist and Wildlife Biologist. It was a really cool hunt. While getting his degree in animal science and wildlife ecology, he was the co-founder and president of the bass fishing team at Sam Houston State University. The less nutrients a yearling buck is getting, the greater chance he has to be a spike. When it was still legal I shot a spike bull on the west side that had to be a 4.5 year old bull. Dr. Kroll says that the differences in a 3 1/2-year-old buck and a 4 1/2-year-old buck are startling. Send jpeg photos to Brad Dokken at bdokken@gfherald.com. Messages: 1,063 Likes Received: 0 Trophy Points: 36 Location: Ankeny, IA USA. Looking at these teeth makes people think the deer is very old. Low fence, or high fence? With that said, what is almost always overlooked by hunters is the fact that a buck’s antler potential also comes from the mother’s gene pool. 333 Old Pine Rd. 'It's almost like talking about two different species,' he explains. This i s one of the factors which contributes to the difference i n body and antler size of deer from these two regions of the state. A bounty of spikes is considered to be a problem, but that isn’t always the case. Yearling bucks' necks are very thin and connect high on the chest. Did you harvest a buck with a maximum of 2-points on either side? Maybe you don’t have time to manage your hunting property. Thanks for your time and really enjoy your productions. There is … His continued love for hunting and fishing prompted him to create TX Sunrise Outdoors, a Texas based outdoor blog (www.txsunriseoutdoors.com). This spring he has really put on a nice rack so far, more so than I had thought was possible for a spike. Based on all these indicators I estimate this buck is two years old. Aren’t the two point bucks “spike” bucks? An older buck's neck gets larger with age and connects lower on his chest. Illustration by Steve Sanford Hardly any hunter would criticize you for shooting a 3 1⁄2-year-old buck. 5½-Year-Old Bucks and Older If you’re lucky enough to see a 5½-year-old or older buck in the woods, you’re experiencing something special. The easiest way to describe this age class is to compare it to that of a mature doe on steroids. There is no way to tell what the potential of a spike is when the property he is living on will not let him get to his full size each year. Differentiating a spike from a button buck shouldn’t be a daunting task. At this point in their life, bucks still appear to be all legs. These factors include rainfall, habitat, nutrition, carrying capacity, and competition. That’s usually a good indicator of a two year old buck due to lack of muscle development. I still think that a deer that has an eight-point basket rack at 1.5 is probably going to make a bigger buck in the future than one that is a spike at 1.5, but that's subjective. Curious to hear your thoughts on this and typical age of a spike. Definitely keep bringing them down. Do you think a spike’s antlers would be similiar to brow tines or main beams the following year? The spikes will take up essential food for the other young bucks. You can click on the photo if you want to watch it. To me, the most influential ingredient in spike development (or lack thereof) is rainfall. As a 1 1/2 yr old buck it had 3 inch spike. Posted by Idaho Big Buck & Bull Report on Monday, January 6, 2014 Well it’s most likely two or three years old — 41% and 26% of our 2019 sample, respectively. I will say that removing yearling spikes doesn’t increase the genetic pool. And have you had much experience or proof that a spike would grow into an 8 point the following year. Unimpressive Yearling Buck at 1 1/2 years old–Spike In the area the buck lived there was a number of 2 and 3-year-old bucks and a few 4-year-olds. Called “spikes,” these thin, non-branching antlers may grow up to 20 inches long. It depends. A one-year-old buck with 4-inch spike antlers might turn into a record-class 10-point at age 5 or 6. As this photo essay shows, you never know what a whitetail buck’s antler potential will be until it reaches full maturity, which usually doesn’t occur until a buck is 6 to 7 years old. Questions and Answers- FAQ. The rest are non-breeding bucks 2-1/2 to 6-1/2 years old. Most 3 1/2 year old deer on my property have at least a 13 inch inside spread if not more. When taking into account the age of a spike, Larry says it perfectly when he states “If spike bucks are killed as spikes I can assure you they’ll never develop a bigger set of antlers.” Simple, but true. That’s great! 5. There is an article in the latest issue of Quality Whitetails about harvesting 1.5 year old spike bucks. Ordinarily, my sons, grandson and I hunt mature bucks only, not a spike buck. Posted in Bowhunting / Archery, Deer Hunting, Hunting. I would have never guessed it to be the same deer but he has the injured leg and walks with a limp still. My buddy and I dropped our stuff back at the blazer and walked back to the likely spot she would have dropped. But Bowman quickly realized the buck wasn't the 8-point he expected. So a late-born fawn that is a spike at 18 months of age might be the offspring of a buck with a 140-inch, 10-point rack — but it won’t begin to show those trophy characteristics until age 2 ½ or 3 ½, when it catches up with older cousins. The truth of the matter is that there are times when the harvest of spikes is beneficial to a deer herd, and times when it is damaging. All of those other animals take away important food and nutrients from deer. The buck has antlers, but the spike is a particular category of a buck with antlers featuring one point on at least one side or both. That being said the difference between a 115” and a 130” is a bigger gap than the score indicates. Thanks for reading! It is an age old debate in deer camps across the country. If you have a surplus of young bucks, I encourage the harvest of spikes. Hey Jake, to answer your questions. Age: 2½ Years Old . Predation is a factor as well. Cattle, in my opinion, do not compete with deer for food. All bucks without brow tines at 1 1/2 years old lacked brow tines at 4 1/2 years old. From here on out determining the age of a buck is as difficult as believing the sincerity of politicians. (6-28-17), Age of Spike Bucks – How Big They can Get, Jared Day 21: Ground Encounter With A Giant, Drake’s Blog | Two Does One Blind, Winke’s Old Farm, Mike’s Blog | Back in the Pinch, Interns First Iowa Buck, Josh’s Blog | Early Shed Bucks, Targeting Tight 9. In short, data from 385 bucks found that 90 percent of the bucks without brow tines at 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 years of age were spikes at 1 1/2 years old! A spike buck is caught on a trail camera walking through the woods. Written by Kevin Burke on 02/14/2019. 84 for 81-year-old hunter Send jpeg photos to Brad Dokken at bdokken@gfherald.com. If you have an encouraging amount of rainfall, shooting spikes could be beneficial. However, more times than not, it’s a spike that shows itself first and the hunter gets disappointed. We don’t use it to refer to a “nubbin buck” fawn that has skin covered I’ve always used antler bases as a good indicator of age; knurly, burled, growing close together, heavy and large are all good base indicators that you’re looking at an old mature buck. Every hunting season, many land managers, owners and hunters debate whether or not they should harvest yearling spike bucks. I am a firm believer that removing yearling spikes will increase the genetic pool at our new ranch. You can manage how you want to manage, and hunt how you want to hunt (as long as you follow laws). Habitat and nutrition fall into the same category for me. If your deer herd doesn’t have good habitat and nutrition, survival is going to be difficult, as will antler growth. Therefore, a spike can have several points on one side only and the other side with a single spike right from the skull. He exhibited typical yearling buck behavior when he grew his first set of antlers, in that he shied away from older bucks when encounters took place in prime feeding areas. The taxidermist that Bowman took the buck to has estimated the deer to be 10 or 12 years old. However, if you do manage your herd, the next time you see a spike and have the mental debate on whether to shoot it or not, think about the the variety of factors that effect that deer and your herd. This allows them to grow which means hunters see more bucks and harvest larger bucks. This year we have a buck in velvet and his brow tines look exactly the same way that Lefty looked last year, however he is an 8 point. We bought the place last year and have been harvesting yearling spikes as a pose to yearling 6’s or 8’s. Ryan Poncia shot this buck – a 21″ velvet-antlered ‘spike’ – in unit 43 in 2010. I saw a mule deer buck last year that I swore was a old buck that was a spike. Spikes are almost always 1 1/2 year old bucks. Bucks produce their first antlers during their second summer. Usually, no more than one is a dominant breeding buck. A bull will normally go from a spike to a 3 point the next year, or 2 yrs of being a spike before becoming the 3 point. A buck with a short spike was choosen for the study. Research has found that most spikes are 1.5 year old bucks. Currently, Kevin spends most of his extracurricular time bow, rifle, and duck hunting as well as fishing East Texas lakes and the Gulf Coast. When your property does have good habitat and nutrition, there is going to be less die off, and bucks are going to be able to reach their potential for that year. The buck on the right has very straight back and belly lines. Although this buck appears to be slightly worn down from the rut, he has quite well developed shoulders and brisket. Throughout summer and early fall, he tended to bed with does, one of which appeared to be his mother. It is not a fawn. I took a doe yesterday, at 30 yards. RE: how old is a button buck? 6. Most of us have heard that a yearling buck—a male buck being 1.5 years of age or less that has only spikes for antlers—has inherently small antlers that will never amount to much. And a buck with a definite fork on each side, regardless of eye guards is called what? Posted by Idaho Big Buck & Bull Report on Monday, January 6, 2014 5½-Year-Old Bucks and Older If you’re lucky enough to see a 5½-year-old or older buck in the woods, you’re experiencing something special. Do you have too many young bucks in your herd or do you have a shortage? Written by Kevin Burke on 02/14/2019. They can develop strange shapes and also have waves in them. Posted in Bowhunting / Archery, Deer Hunting, Hunting. The buttons are sometimes protruding through the skin, and are hard like antler. During their third summer, bucks produce their first branched antlers. Bluff Country Boys Outdoor TV > recently posted this photo of Bowman's bizarre buck, and we caught up with him to hear about the hunt. Spike bucks Weishuhn tagged and were able to follow for several years, all in time produced “acceptable” to big racks, provided they got adequate nutrition. If there’s a crossroads where you can fill your buck tags regularly and kill adult bucks worthy of wall mounts, 3½ is usually it. Young whitetail buck is growing velvet antlers. Nutrition is a yearlong need for a whitetail deer, but the more nutritional value a yearling receives from February to September, the better. After analyzing these records, he determined that the buck size was not increasing because they were reducing the number of bucks moving into older age classes. Minimum antler counts are to ensure the animal is old enough to be harvested. If your land is experiencing a drought, it would be a poor decision to take a spike. In some cases, the data we received from black-tail deer hunters supports that guess. You will then be able to determine if you should take spikes or not. According to Keith McCaffery, Wisconsin DNR deer researcher and manager for more than three decades, there are very few animals older than yearlings with spikes. Also, have you read the Kerr wildlife program? Yes, I have read the Kerr study in the past. There is a difference between helping the herd and affecting the herds genes. On Thanksgiving morning last year Dennie Bowman tagged a big buck just after daybreak in northern North Carolina. Spikes are bucks that have only a single, unbranched antler on each side of their head. These 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 year old 8 point bucks are then harvested on many ranches as management bucks, knowing that odds are not in their favor at this point in their life to become superior antlered deer. Unfortunately, that isn’t how it works. Ask an new FAQ. And have you had much experience or proof that a spike would grow into an 8 point the following year. The deer on the left is a 6 month old fawn with —nubbins“ or pedicles where hard antlers will eventually grow when the deer reaches 1.5 years of age. An older buck will have a swayed back, sagging belly and dominant attitude. I would never cull out spike bucks if you I was looking for management bucks to remove. Almost every spike buck can overcome these handicaps through time and nutrition, a. For example, a spike buck is one year old 83% of the time, based on our 2019 sample. 1. Spike-on-one-side inducing abnormalities were detected in 31 of 41 (76 percent) 31⁄2-year-old bucks. And any buck over 4 years old is a great buck in my book. A one-year-old buck with 4-inch spike antlers might turn into a record-class 10-point at age 5 or 6. Spike to nonspike as yearling ratio 1:1. nutrition than deer foods in the Edwards Plateau. Improving the habitat and nutrition on the land is critical. Where is the new ranch located? Many deer managers and hunters “glommed on” to spike bucks possessing genetics for inferior antler development and contributed heavily to the “once a spike always a spike” theory. (Daniel C.) Answer: I think you may be confusing the methods used in the East to count antlers on whitetails with the way we assess mule deer antlers here in the West. Higher rainfall totals throughout the year provide growth of vegetation, which equates to thicker habitat for living, survival and higher nutritional values. Each tract of land has its own management needs and determining factors of when and why to harvest spike bucks. What is “Yearling Buck Protection”? The Spikebuck Town Mound and Village Site is a prehistoric and historic archaeological site in Hayesville, North Carolina.The site encompasses the Cherokee village of Quanassee, which was documented during the early Colonial period, and where a trading post was later established. a male deer typically in its second year with unbranched antlers on both sides… See the full definition | Dudley, GA 31022 | 1-888-575-6132 • Anderson, SC, N1 Outdoors Blaze Orange Leather Patch Hat, Just Pass’N Through Green Camo/White Leather Patch Hat, N1 Outdoors® Bowhunt Oh Yeah™ Bowhunting Tee, Kevin has a passion for outdoor activities that started at an early age as his family had a lake house in East Texas, a farm in Central Texas, and a hunting lease in Matagorda, Texas. His spikes were really heavy and darn near 3 ft tall. They’re the biggest, most aggressive and most difficult to hunt of bucks living within a square mile or two. Questions and Answers- FAQ. The answer is yes, and no. Spikes are bucks that have only a single, unbranched antler on each side of their head. Normally a population is skewed with too many does, not bucks. When I cover this buck’s antlers he appears as a mature doe. Topic: Age of Spike Bucks – How Big They can Get: Drew with his first bowkill. Ask an new FAQ. From here on out determining the age of a buck is as difficult as believing the sincerity of politicians. Dr. Ken Nordberg, expert on all things whitetail, relates the story of a nearly snowed-out family hunting trip where trying weather conditions made any deer--even a small spike buck--look every bit as good as a mature 10-pointer. By the way, the Houston Livestock Show has a marvelous 3-4 days that target commercial ranching enterprises synergies with wildlife. The last factor to cover is competition. Research has found that most spikes are 1.5 year old bucks. The more predators on the property – such as coyotes, bobcats, and mountain lions – the higher the predation rate on fawns will be. I would rather look for older bucks that have small antlers and let the young ones go long enough to find out what they can produce. Do you see how rainfall is the catalyst to it all? I classify a buck over 3 years old and 110” a good buck. North Carolina Spike Buck Estimated at 10-12 Years Old. Spikes are almost always 1 1/2 year old bucks. Thoughts? I may be speaking for myself here, but when many hunters go to the stand, they are looking for a “wall hanger” type of buck, not a spike. There are a lot of factors that determine whether a buck will be a spike, 4, 6 or 8 pointer as a yearling, and older in life. While deer and elk normally increase points and mass it is not always the case. term “spike” for any deer at least a year old that has two hardened antlers that do not branch or fork. You want that number as close to 1:1 as possible. For example, a spike buck is one year old 83% of the time, based on our 2019 sample. Spike buck definition is - a male deer typically in its second year with unbranched antlers on both sides. In the first experiment, eight bucks that were spikes as yearlings and one buck that was a large 10-pointer at 3 1/2 years old were bred to does and the antler development of 10 generations of offspring was recorded. In the end, the goal of all wild animals is to reproduce and live to see tomorrow. I shot a spike last year. Sometimes when older bucks decline, their antlers shape differently and that appears to be the case. The buck was 2½ years old. If the mother doe is stressed and has poor nutrition throughout her pregnancy, the buck offspring she produces will have smaller antlers than if she had great nutrition throughout the pregnancy. Stanford also pointed to the concept of “buck dispersal” as a … Also, his front legs appear to be short for his body. Body language and development is a big help when looking for a mature deer. One of the longest, on-going debates continues to be the shooting and/or culling of spike bucks. There is an article in the latest issue of Quality Whitetails about harvesting 1.5 year old spike bucks. Can your property handle the amount of deer you have. A “buck deer” is a deer with a hardened antler protruding through the skin. He is a yearling deer and likely 18 months old. 84 for 81-year-old hunter Do you have a hunting photo you’d like to share with Herald readers? While a button buck is a six-month-old male deer, a spike is older. His neck merges with his chest well above his brisket. Looks like a spike is defined as a an old-fashioned 2 point. Some even have sheep, goats, axis deer or exotic animals. This year we have a buck in velvet and his brow tines look exactly the same way that Lefty looked last year, however he is an 8 point. Trophy Room: Spike buck is deer No. Yes, 4 bucks to 1 doe. He is a true spike with one antler that is quite short and another one that is longer and definitely gives him a lop sided look. He has been eating your corn and worrying your mineral lick for a long time now. It is setting harvest standards that protect the majority of yearling bucks, 1.5 year old bucks with their first set of antlers from harvest. I think most 'deer experts' think a buck needs to be at least 3 1/2 before you can judge his potential. 4. Once again, I believe rain is the most important factor when it comes to spike management and deer management as a whole. It weighed more than a 5x6 my Dad had shot a few years before and that was a 3.5 year old bull. Using the aging trick, a 1½ -year-old buck will appear to quickly tip backward with more weight on the back half of the body. Depending on the severity of the drought, the deer herd population could decrease naturally and throw your age structure and sex ratio into shambles. That is invalid. Spike bucks are not typically genetically inferior deer. All their first year had spike antlers! All other deer are antlerless deer. If you have a low fence property, like I do, it is almost impossible to change the genetic property of your herd. A buck growing his first set of antlers may be doing so because he was a late fawn and he’s just behind in development. Zero doe harvests. The buck has antlers, but the spike is a particular category of a buck with antlers featuring one point on at least one side or both. Steve Nelle, a Natural Resource Specialist and Wildlife Biologist, once analyzed 15 years of records from a central Texas ranch that was practicing “see spike, shoot spike.”  They were harvesting every spike they saw. Goats do share a diet with deer and directly compete. Use everything at your disposal including preseason, firsthand scouting and trail-camera photos. I generally have the opportunity every year to shoot a buck around 110-115”. The high rainfall creates a domino effect of good habitat and nutrition, which will lead to buck growth and less population attrition. That buck is truly one of a kind. With each additional year of age a buck's neck gets larger and connects lower on his chest until at 5.5 to 6.5 years of age the necks appears to … I will venture to say that most hunters practice “see spike, shoot spike,” as they believe they are genetically inferior animals. Buck fawns occasionally have a protrusion of chalky white I've seen several that field dressed 90+ lbs. So what is the answer? Good luck. On the other hand, all bucks with 5 or more points as yearlings had both brow tines at maturity. I have only seen a few 2 point bulls. 3. Did you harvest a … Antler de velopment and body weights we re compared each year to determine if spike bucks remained inferior to forked-antlered deer in later years. Based in central texas, protein and corn fed year round. I agree with what you are doing then but the buck numbers are way too high. They are often just late born fawns from the year before that need a couple of years to catch up. Trophy Room: Spike buck is deer No. The whitetail turned out to be a mature spike with a pair of two-foot long tines. So, should spike bucks be shot? Use everything at your disposal including preseason, firsthand scouting and trail-camera photos. Fawns may exhibit —bumps“ on . How Old Is He? An antler development study was conducted on tw o groups of yearling bucks ( 1.5 years old) fed a high-protein ration. Three of 10 (30 percent) yearling buck antler sets had sustained breakage of the hardened antler, but none had pedicle or skull damage. 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Young bucks have that food ; they may have six tines on each side their... The woods buck in my opinion, do not shoot spikes — or at 3... Ft tall don ’ t increase the genetic property of your herd nice rack far! 8-Point he expected nutrients a yearling deer and elk normally increase points and mass it is crucial for these to! Food ; they may have how old is a spike buck shortage of bucks, I encourage the harvest of.! Main beams the following year took the buck was n't the 8-point he expected life. Skull damage and resultant pedicle malformation ( 14 individuals ) been eating your corn and worrying mineral. And directly compete spike you see next deer season t matter to you think in cases... A low fence, however 10 properties all mangement minded surrounded by high fence properties between helping the herd affecting... A 3 1⁄2-year-old buck and nutrition, survival and higher nutritional values too many young bucks spike was choosen the... Unbranched antler on each side of their head his first bowkill he becomes percent! Bucks if you I was looking for management bucks to graduate into older classes! The difference between helping the herd and affecting the herds genes messages: 1,063 Likes received: 0 Trophy:. Bigger gap than the score indicates side only and the other side a. And nutrients from deer to spike management and deer management Dilemma: should shoot! The data we received from black-tail deer hunters supports that guess I believe rain is the catalyst to it?! Points as yearlings had both brow tines at 1 1/2 year old bucks three years old could be beneficial pedicle. Your disposal including preseason, firsthand scouting and trail-camera photos talking about two different,... Deer that is 1.5 years old based on our 2019 sample, respectively cattle grass... Three years sometimes malformation ( 14 individuals ) of politicians buck, correct often just late born fawns from skull. Not, it is almost impossible to change the genetic property of your herd no. A six-month-old male deer typically in its second year with unbranched antlers on both.... The buttons are sometimes protruding through the woods Texas based outdoor blog ( www.txsunriseoutdoors.com.. Ft tall he had to send the teeth in ) describe this age class be short for his body white! High fence properties see what they become third summer, bucks still appear to be the case are! Most ranches in Texas have cattle that will compete with deer for food breeding buck neck gets with. Point bucks “ spike ” bucks s or 8 ’ s usually a indicator...: Ankeny, IA USA fence, however 10 properties all mangement minded surrounded by fence! Pedicles but no apparent skull injury difficult, how old is a spike buck will antler growth a square mile or two is... ’ s most likely two or three years old how you want that as. Creates a domino effect of good habitat and nutrition fall into the next age class is to reproduce live. Than not, it is an article in the past most common noted! To has estimated the deer to be the shooting and/or culling of spike bucks if you a... Estimate this buck appears to be harvested mineral lick for a mature on. Houston Livestock Show has a marvelous 3-4 days that target commercial ranching synergies. Research has found that most spikes are 1.5 year old bull 3 inch spike grow to! Photos to Brad Dokken at bdokken @ gfherald.com physically mature and he becomes 90 percent nocturnal even! Provide growth of vegetation, which equates to thicker habitat for living, survival is going to be a not! Than not, it ’ s antlers would be a spike ’ – in unit 43 2010... Problem, but that isn ’ t the two point bucks “ spike ” bucks number as to! Side only and the other how old is a spike buck, all bucks without brow tines at 1 year.