A deer that the horns do not fork or branch. This can take the shape of2" long straight horns sticking straight up and not curving. Hence the name "spike" its the more common and typically very young deer, 1 1/2 yrs old perhaps, they are also very good eating because they're so young.

There's also ones with curved, developed main beams from 5-10" long, that do not branch at all, not even brow tines..what we call cow-horn spikes, which typically have fully developed body mass and areusually mature deer, which we DO get in the Texas Hill country... I've shot one and seen severy more.)

hope that made sense....