ORIGINAL: KansasHunter5
I was reading a post about spike bucks and how time of birth effects antler growth and I have a couple questions as well.
What age are button bucks? Are they 1/2 year old deer?
If you see spike, forks, and button bucks in the same area, what does that say about the breeding cycle and quality of bucks in the area?
Button bucks are 0.5 year old deer and should not be harvested.
90+% of spikes are 1.5 year old deer. Yearling bucks (1.5 year olds) can be forked antlered. Not all yearling bucks are spikes.
You cannot draw any conclusions about the breeding cycle or quality of bucks in your area because you see buttons, spikes, of forked antlered deer in your area.
Genetics should be the last thing you worry about in deer management. You need to first ensure that your deer are being allowed to reach some level of maturity and that they have adequate nutrition.
Lots more info in the "Wildlife Management" forum.
Good luck!