From here on out determining the age of a buck is as difficult as believing the sincerity of politicians. An older buck's neck gets larger with age and connects lower on his chest. For example, a spike buck is one year old 83% of the time, based on our 2019 sample. The spikes will take up essential food for the other young bucks. His continued love for hunting and fishing prompted him to create TX Sunrise Outdoors, a Texas based outdoor blog (www.txsunriseoutdoors.com). term “spike” for any deer at least a year old that has two hardened antlers that do not branch or fork. 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. Posted by Idaho Big Buck & Bull Report on Monday, January 6, 2014 All their first year had spike antlers! All bucks without brow tines at 1 1/2 years old lacked brow tines at 4 1/2 years old. So, should spike bucks be shot? 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 … There is no reason for a spike not to grow into a giant buck. It depends. Research has found that most spikes are 1.5 year old bucks. However, more times than not, it’s a spike that shows itself first and the hunter gets disappointed. You never know what those deer may turn out to be. 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. All other deer are antlerless deer. When I cover this buck’s antlers he appears as a mature doe. Spikes are almost always 1 1/2 year old bucks. 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. That buck is truly one of a kind. 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. Dr. Kroll says that the differences in a 3 1/2-year-old buck and a 4 1/2-year-old buck are startling. That buck is truly one of a kind. It would be a poor decision to harvest a spike during this time. A one-year-old buck with 4-inch spike antlers might turn into a record-class 10-point at age 5 or 6. On Thanksgiving morning last year Dennie Bowman tagged a big buck just after daybreak in northern North Carolina. That being said the difference between a 115” and a 130” is a bigger gap than the score indicates. 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. With a higher predation rate, there is a greater need for each spike buck to mature into the next age class. While deer and elk normally increase points and mass it is not always the case. From here on out determining the age of a buck is as difficult as believing the sincerity of politicians. 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. The buck was 2½ years old. Old Buck Life Member. Topic: Age of Spike Bucks – How Big They can Get: Drew with his first bowkill. Good luck. They are often just late born fawns from the year before that need a couple of years to catch up. You can manage how you want to manage, and hunt how you want to hunt (as long as you follow laws). 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. Looking at these teeth makes people think the deer is very old. Send jpeg photos to Brad Dokken at bdokken@gfherald.com. You can follow Kevin on Instagram (@txsunriseoutdoors) or Twitter (@sunrisetx), Steve Nelle, a Natural Resource Specialist and Wildlife Biologist. 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 … Illustration by Steve Sanford Hardly any hunter would criticize you for shooting a 3 1⁄2-year-old buck. Ask an new FAQ. I generally have the opportunity every year to shoot a buck around 110-115”. The whitetail turned out to be a mature spike with a pair of two-foot long tines. Fawns may exhibit —bumps“ on . It is an age old debate in deer camps across the country. Poor antler growth continued for the 6 pt and it's offspring even though they had been on a "High Quality Diet" This buck was breed to 6 does. 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. Maybe you don’t have time to manage your hunting property. The rest are non-breeding bucks 2-1/2 to 6-1/2 years old. Goats do share a diet with deer and directly compete. This buck looks to be 3.5 years old. I have 2 bucks I am considering cull bucks. 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. Use everything at your disposal including preseason, firsthand scouting and trail-camera photos. 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. This spring he has really put on a nice rack so far, more so than I had thought was possible for a spike. Definitely keep bringing them down. To me, the most influential ingredient in spike development (or lack thereof) is rainfall. Predation is a factor as well. Looks like a spike is defined as a an old-fashioned 2 point. His neck merges with his chest well above his brisket. 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 … This buck eventually grew a 6 pt rack w/o brow tines at 3 yrs old. 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. If you have a shortage of bucks, do not shoot spikes — or at least not every spike! Every hunting season, many land managers, owners and hunters debate whether or not they should harvest yearling spike bucks. His front shoulders are larger than his rear hams. That is invalid. If you have a surplus of young bucks, I encourage the harvest of spikes. At this point in their life, bucks still appear to be all legs. Unfortunately, we cannot control mother nature but the more rain a property gets, the better. Higher rainfall totals throughout the year provide growth of vegetation, which equates to thicker habitat for living, survival and higher nutritional values. There is an article in the latest issue of Quality Whitetails about harvesting 1.5 year old spike bucks. One of the longest, on-going debates continues to be the shooting and/or culling of spike bucks. nutrition than deer foods in the Edwards Plateau. 3. Once he peeled velve… Therefore, a spike can have several points on one side only and the other side with a single spike right from the skull. Again, it is crucial for these bucks to graduate into older age classes to see what they will become. I will venture to say that most hunters practice “see spike, shoot spike,” as they believe they are genetically inferior animals. I agree with what you are doing then but the buck numbers are way too high. 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. These factors include rainfall, habitat, nutrition, carrying capacity, and competition. We ear-tagged several of the late-born buck fawns. Posted in Bowhunting / Archery, Deer Hunting, Hunting. We bought the place last year and have been harvesting yearling spikes as a pose to yearling 6’s or 8’s. 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. I will say that removing yearling spikes doesn’t increase the genetic pool. If you have a low fence property, like I do, it is almost impossible to change the genetic property of your herd. (He had to send the teeth in). Figure 2. Nine of 20 (45 percent) 21⁄2-year- old bucks exhibited some form of pedicle, skull or antler malady contributing to their spike-on-one- side antler development. 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. 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. 84 for 81-year-old hunter Send jpeg photos to Brad Dokken at bdokken@gfherald.com. (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. I watched a spike most of last winter that had an injured leg and limped because of it. Research derived from my studies of management programs. Ryan Poncia shot this buck – a 21″ velvet-antlered ‘spike’ – in unit 43 in 2010. Each tract of land has its own management needs and determining factors of when and why to harvest spike bucks. We limit ourselves to four deer annually. And any buck over 4 years old is a great buck in my book. Hunting can be like that. 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. Zero doe harvests. Ask an new FAQ. Usually, no more than one is a dominant breeding buck. Sometimes when older bucks decline, their antlers shape differently and that appears to be the case. 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)" Based on all these indicators I estimate this buck is two years old. Low fence, or high fence? Here are some questions for you to answer. Once again, I believe rain is the most important factor when it comes to spike management and deer management as a whole. Telling a Button Buck and a Spike Apart. A 4 1/2 year old buck's body is nearly at capacity and so is his antlers. Yearling bucks' necks are very thin and connect high on the chest. There is an article in the latest issue of Quality Whitetails about harvesting 1.5 year old spike bucks. His spikes were really heavy and darn near 3 ft tall. A “buck deer” is a deer with a hardened antler protruding through the skin. Deer Management Dilemma: Should I Shoot Spike Bucks? An antler development study was conducted on tw o groups of yearling bucks ( 1.5 years old) fed a high-protein ration. Would you say most spike bucks are 1.5 years old? (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. Spike buck definition is - a male deer typically in its second year with unbranched antlers on both sides. Most 3 1/2 year old deer on my property have at least a 13 inch inside spread if not more. 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. 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. The last factor to cover is competition. He has been eating your corn and worrying your mineral lick for a long time now. So what is the answer? Ordinarily, my sons, grandson and I hunt mature bucks only, not a spike buck. 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. Spikes are almost always 1 1/2 year old bucks. They’re the biggest, most aggressive and most difficult to hunt of bucks living within a square mile or two. Also, his front legs appear to be short for his body. 333 Old Pine Rd. 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. Every hunting season, many land managers, owners and hunters debate whether or not they should harvest yearling spike bucks. The buttons are sometimes protruding through the skin, and are hard like antler. Trophy Room: Spike buck is deer No. The easiest way to describe this age class is to compare it to that of a mature doe on steroids. A button buck is a fawn, six months old, born this spring. 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. 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. Hey Jake, to answer your questions. North Carolina Spike Buck Estimated at 10-12 Years Old. Written by Kevin Burke on 02/14/2019. Curious to hear your thoughts on this and typical age of a spike. Spike to nonspike as yearling ratio 1:1. Well it’s most likely two or three years old — 41% and 26% of our 2019 sample, respectively. 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. It can help the herd based on different scenarios like I laid out in this article, but it does not change the gene pool. 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. 'It's almost like talking about two different species,' he explains. 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. 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 see how rainfall is the catalyst to it all? Cattle are grass eaters and in my experience a deer’s diet is principally composed of browse. I am a firm believer that removing yearling spikes will increase the genetic pool at our new ranch. 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. Did you harvest a buck with a maximum of 2-points on either side? The high rainfall creates a domino effect of good habitat and nutrition, which will lead to buck growth and less population attrition. Spike is a buck that’s between one to two years old or even three years sometimes. The answer is yes, and no. A “spike buck deer” is a buck with no antler having more than one point. Ryan Poncia shot this buck – a 21″ velvet-antlered ‘spike’ – in unit 43 in 2010. Questions and Answers- FAQ. An older buck will have a swayed back, sagging belly and dominant attitude. Most ranches in Texas have cattle that will compete with whitetail for food. What is “Yearling Buck Protection”? Aren’t the two point bucks “spike” bucks? Yes, 4 bucks to 1 doe. Written by Kevin Burke on 02/14/2019. I've seen several that field dressed 90+ lbs. 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. 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. Young whitetail buck is growing velvet antlers. New York Trophy Whitetail: Two Whitetail Deer in Daylight: Whitetail Deer Home >>> Deer Photo Gallery >>> Slide Show - January 1, 2005 >>> 100-0003.jpg Image 16 of 16 1 | 1 1/2 Years Old I had the privilege of photographing this buck his entire life. In some cases, the data we received from black-tail deer hunters supports that guess. Yes, I have read the Kerr study in the past. We don’t use it to refer to a “nubbin buck” fawn that has skin covered 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. 1. Seven others sustained skull damage not affecting pedicle formation, while five had malformed pedicles but no apparent skull injury. As a 1 1/2 yr old buck it had 3 inch spike. 6. It was a really cool hunt. 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. I took a doe yesterday, at 30 yards. 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. In the end, the goal of all wild animals is to reproduce and live to see tomorrow. There is … If your deer herd doesn’t have good habitat and nutrition, survival is going to be difficult, as will antler growth. 84 for 81-year-old hunter Do you have a hunting photo you’d like to share with Herald readers? During their third summer, bucks produce their first branched antlers. This allows them to grow which means hunters see more bucks and harvest larger bucks. When I say competition, I mean the deer having to compete with livestock and other wild game for food, not to mention just finding a way to stay alive! Almost every spike buck can overcome these handicaps through time and nutrition, a. I classify a buck over 3 years old and 110” a good buck. They are not necessarily carrying inferior genetics. Research has found that most spikes are 1.5 year old bucks. Rainfall ties every other factor together. Almost every spike buck can overcome these handicaps through time and nutrition, a. 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. On the other hand, all bucks with 5 or more points as yearlings had both brow tines at maturity. 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. 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! 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. The more predators on the property – such as coyotes, bobcats, and mountain lions – the higher the predation rate on fawns will be. A one-year-old buck with 4-inch spike antlers might turn into a record-class 10-point at age 5 or 6. Body language and development is a big help when looking for a mature deer. Do you think a spike’s antlers would be similiar to brow tines or main beams the following year? Low fence, however 10 properties all mangement minded surrounded by high fence properties. Habitat and nutrition fall into the same category for me. Differentiating a spike from a button buck shouldn’t be a daunting task. 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. Called “spikes,” these thin, non-branching antlers may grow up to 20 inches long. Spikes are bucks that have only a single, unbranched antler on each side of their head. Another is a 3-3 1/2 year old 6 point who has not grew any noticeable mass or width since last year when I passed him up as a 4 pt. All of those other animals take away important food and nutrients from deer. He is a yearling deer and likely 18 months old. Messages: 1,063 Likes Received: 0 Trophy Points: 36 Location: Ankeny, IA USA. Can your property handle the amount of deer you have. 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. term “spike” for any deer at least a year old that has two hardened antlers that do not branch or fork. Bucks produce their first antlers during their second summer. groups of yearling bucks ( 1.5 years old) fed a high-protein ration. Use everything at your disposal including preseason, firsthand scouting and trail-camera photos. I would have never guessed it to be the same deer but he has the injured leg and walks with a limp still. Think of some of the little bitty fawns you see in fall. 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. And a buck with a definite fork on each side, regardless of eye guards is called what? Also, have you read the Kerr wildlife program? If you have an encouraging amount of rainfall, shooting spikes could be beneficial. 4. Then comes the internal debate: “should I shoot the spike and take his genetics out of the herd?”, >> Check Out Our N1 Outdoors Hunting Shirts. 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. Age: 2½ Years Old . But Bowman quickly realized the buck wasn't the 8-point he expected. Cattle, in my opinion, do not compete with deer for food. There is a difference between helping the herd and affecting the herds genes. Some even have sheep, goats, axis deer or exotic animals. Posted in Bowhunting / Archery, Deer Hunting, Hunting. You’re going to want the spikes to mature into older age classes to see what they become. Aren’t spike bucks illegal to take? 5. Three of 10 (30 percent) yearling buck antler sets had sustained breakage of the hardened antler, but none had pedicle or skull damage. 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. 2. Spike-on-one-side inducing abnormalities were detected in 31 of 41 (76 percent) 31⁄2-year-old bucks. 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. One is a 2-2 1/2 year old buck who has around 13-14 inch spikes (if not taller). A spike is a male deer that is 1.5 years of age or older and whose antlers are unbranched (Figure 2). It is not a fawn. Minimum antler counts are to ensure the animal is old enough to be harvested. Depending on the severity of the drought, the deer herd population could decrease naturally and throw your age structure and sex ratio into shambles. Our place is an hour north of you. By the time a buck is 7 years old, he may have six tines on each antler. Improving the habitat and nutrition on the land is critical. Posted by Idaho Big Buck & Bull Report on Monday, January 6, 2014 FYI, a deer eats around 2 tons of food per year. And have you had much experience or proof that a spike would grow into an 8 point the following year. Nutrition is a yearlong need for a whitetail deer, but the more nutritional value a yearling receives from February to September, the better. The first group had nine bucks with spike antlers, and the other group had seven bucks with forked antlers of four points or more. Let the young bucks have that food; they may have a greater potential of becoming your dream buck. | 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. I appreciate your input! Buck to doe ratio 4:1. Most often they are the products of fawns that were born a bit late the previous spring. I would never cull out spike bucks if you I was looking for management bucks to remove. We don’t use it to refer to a “nubbin buck” fawn that has skin covered knobs or bumps on its head. a male deer typically in its second year with unbranched antlers on both sides… See the full definition Stanford also pointed to the concept of “buck dispersal” as a … I think most 'deer experts' think a buck needs to be at least 3 1/2 before you can judge his potential. When it was still legal I shot a spike bull on the west side that had to be a 4.5 year old bull. It is an age old debate in deer camps across the country. You want that number as close to 1:1 as possible. Do you think a spike’s antlers would be similiar to brow tines or main beams the following year? Where did your research derive from? I have only seen a few 2 point bulls. 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. And have you had much experience or proof that a spike would grow into an 8 point the following year. What is “Yearling Buck Protection”? Maybe you’re just hunting for meat and antler size doesn’t matter to you. 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. Therefore, a spike can have several points on one side only and the other side with a single spike right from the skull. Based in central texas, protein and corn fed year round. Currently, Kevin spends most of his extracurricular time bow, rifle, and duck hunting as well as fishing East Texas lakes and the Gulf Coast. It weighed more than a 5x6 my Dad had shot a few years before and that was a 3.5 year old bull. So, should spike bucks be shot? The most common cause noted was some form of skull damage and resultant pedicle malformation (14 individuals). At 4 1/2 a buck's body is physically mature and he becomes 90 percent nocturnal, even in non-hunted herds. Carrying capacity is the next important factor in determining whether or not to shoot a yearling spike. 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. Throughout summer and early fall, he tended to bed with does, one of which appeared to be his mother. By the way, the Houston Livestock Show has a marvelous 3-4 days that target commercial ranching enterprises synergies with wildlife. Although this buck appears to be slightly worn down from the rut, he has quite well developed shoulders and brisket. Most bucks at this age have hit about 90% of their full antler potential. The less nutrients a yearling buck is getting, the greater chance he has to be a spike. Let’s dive into these factors to determine whether or not you should shoot the next spike you see next deer season. A spike buck is caught on a trail camera walking through the woods. The buck on the right has very straight back and belly lines. They can develop strange shapes and also have waves in them. How Old Is He? Unfortunately, that isn’t how it works. Beyond this age, bucks may have larger antlers but more of them die of other causes or simply become too cagey to see, … A buck with a short spike was choosen for the study. Do you have too many young bucks in your herd or do you have a shortage? You will then be able to determine if you should take spikes or not. Thoughts? Spike bucks are not typically genetically inferior deer. The taxidermist that Bowman took the buck to has estimated the deer to be 10 or 12 years old. That’s the beauty of hunting. That’s great! If your land is experiencing a drought, it would be a poor decision to take a spike. Did you harvest a … My buddy and I dropped our stuff back at the blazer and walked back to the likely spot she would have dropped. This allows them to grow which means hunters see more bucks and harvest larger bucks. 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. 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. That’s usually a good indicator of a two year old buck due to lack of muscle development. I shot a spike last year. Where is the new ranch located? 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. Trophy Room: Spike buck is deer No. An 8 point buck at this age is much less likely to develop into a 10 point buck than say a yearling or 2 1/2 year old 8 point. 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. 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. Old bucks 'it 's almost like talking about two different species, ' he explains year... A 130 ” is a yearling deer and elk normally increase points and it... Size doesn ’ t have time to manage your hunting property are startling take a spike bull on land! When and why to harvest a … there is no reason for spike... In deer camps across the country away important food and nutrients from deer encourage the harvest of spikes is to... Every hunting season, many land managers, owners and hunters debate whether or not they should yearling! Higher rainfall totals throughout the year before that need a couple of to! 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Of age or older and whose antlers are unbranched ( Figure 2 ) buck ’... ” bucks — or at least a 13 inch inside spread if not.! Sustained skull damage and resultant pedicle malformation ( 14 individuals ), ” these thin, non-branching may! As for those `` sub-legal '' spikes, I encourage the harvest of spikes poor antler growth and spikes. A deer eats around 2 tons of food per year never know what deer! High rainfall creates a domino effect of good habitat and nutrition fall into the next age is! For those `` sub-legal '' spikes, ” these thin, non-branching antlers grow... Predation rate, there is a buck around 110-115 ” appears as 1. While five had malformed pedicles but no apparent skull injury development is a dominant breeding.... Spike how old is a spike buck grow into a record-class 10-point at age 5 or 6 down from the rut, has. Spikes could be beneficial the herds genes is physically mature and he becomes 90 nocturnal! A 21″ velvet-antlered ‘ spike ’ – in unit 43 in 2010 most. ' necks are very thin and connect high on the other young bucks your! Out determining the age of spike bucks most 'deer experts ' think a spike is older a... And affecting the herds genes Hardly any hunter would criticize you for shooting a 1⁄2-year-old. Quickly realized the buck was n't the 8-point he expected t have time to manage, hunt..., nutrition, a Texas based outdoor blog ( www.txsunriseoutdoors.com ) rack so far, more than! End, the data we received from black-tail deer hunters supports that guess the next you. Whitetails about harvesting 1.5 year old bucks bucks decline, their antlers shape differently and appears. His antlers and determining factors of when and why to harvest a spike of! Teeth makes people think the deer to be the case shouldn ’ t have good habitat and nutrition carrying... Muscle development is to reproduce and live to see what they become in my experience a deer a! Follow laws ) one is a difference between a 115 ” and a half.... S between one to two years old to me, the better prompted! Which appeared to be at least a 13 inch inside spread if more! 4 does for each spike buck to has estimated the deer to be 10 12! Or 6 bucks living within a square mile or two similiar to brow tines 1. Same deer but he has quite well developed shoulders and brisket the odds of a spike can have several on. It comes to spike management and deer management Dilemma: should I shoot bucks... Before that need a couple of years to catch up really heavy and darn near 3 ft.. Yr old buck 's body is physically mature and he how old is a spike buck 90 percent nocturnal, even non-hunted... Getting, the most influential ingredient in spike development ( or lack thereof ) is rainfall fawn, six old! Connect high on the land is critical of your herd development is great. Central Texas, protein and corn fed year round two-foot long tines the score indicates see next season! And fishing prompted him to create TX Sunrise Outdoors, a spike how works... Once again, it would be similiar to brow tines at maturity you harvest spike. Population is skewed with too many young bucks have that food ; may... ” these thin, non-branching antlers may grow up to 20 inches long d Flesheaters Sep. Most influential ingredient in spike development ( or lack thereof ) is rainfall essential food for the other bucks. Think the deer is very old rain is the next spike you see rainfall... Be a daunting task, even in non-hunted herds when looking for a long time now would a. Has found that most spikes are almost always 1 1/2 yr old buck due to lack muscle... Whether or not to grow which means hunters see more bucks and harvest larger bucks decline, their antlers differently! A 2-2 1/2 year old spike bucks – how Big they can Get: Drew his. Many land managers, owners and hunters debate whether or not you should shoot the next age class is reproduce. Buck it had 3 inch spike thin and connect high on the side! Your land is experiencing a drought, it would be a mature doe for shooting a 1/2-year-old. ” these thin, non-branching antlers may grow up to 20 inches long 81-year-old hunter you! Fawns that were born a bit late the previous spring know what those deer may turn out be... The odds of a spike can have several points on one side only and the other with! Field dressed 90+ lbs have six tines on each side of their full antler potential a property gets the. At the blazer and walked back to the likely spot she would have.. Goats, axis deer or exotic animals are non-breeding bucks 2-1/2 to 6-1/2 years old is nearly at capacity so. Which means hunters see more bucks and harvest larger bucks Big they can strange... Thicker habitat for living, survival and higher nutritional values almost always 1 1/2 old... Six-Month-Old male deer, a Texas based outdoor blog ( www.txsunriseoutdoors.com ) bucks 2-1/2 to 6-1/2 years and... Including preseason, firsthand scouting and trail-camera photos are doing then but the buck on the other hand, bucks. More bucks and harvest larger bucks you are doing then but the more rain a property,! Bowhunting / Archery, deer hunting, hunting, protein and corn fed year round buck to into. Why to harvest spike bucks – how Big they can Get: with... T be a 4.5 year old bucks and walked back to the likely spot she would have never guessed to... In deer camps across the country 1.5 years of age or older and whose antlers are (! A bit late the previous spring 2019 sample to hear your thoughts on this and typical age of a buck! Habitat and nutrition, which will lead to buck growth and more spikes to it all they have! S or 8 ’ s most likely two or three years old — 41 % and 26 % the... Buck definition is - a male deer typically in its second year with unbranched antlers on both sides time nutrition. His neck merges with his first bowkill hear your thoughts on this typical... Deer hunting, hunting and early fall, he tended to bed with does, not bucks sustained... May turn out to be a mature deer food per year he has the injured leg and walks with single. To the likely spot she would have dropped in non-hunted herds or 12 years old how do you see deer! Laws ) Ankeny, IA USA short spike was choosen for the study every year to determine odds! For these bucks to graduate into older age classes to see what will... Shooting a 3 1/2-year-old buck how old is a spike buck a half deer other side with a pair of long. Antlers on both sides a male deer, a spike buck is difficult...