ORIGINAL: rybohunter
If the soil is poor or if the nutrition level is low, which can cause bad genetics,then you probably will see more spikes.
Poor soil cannot cause bad genetics. Only bad genetics can cause bad genetics.
A deer herd living in habitat that is so poor that bucks remain spikes past thier first year needs a lot of help.
How do you KNOW they were 2.5 year old spikes? Were they teeth aged by a biologist?
I can't speak for the other guys, but for the two older spikes I have seen shot in the past few years by two different buddies, both were taken to the Michigan check station to recieve there patches and they were aged by the biologist there as 2 1/2 and 3 1/2. We checked the deer as well after they cut to view the teeth and the 3 1/2 was a legit 3 1/2. I don't know if it was bad genetics on the 3 1/2 or poor nutrition, but it was a BIG deer for only being a spike. Knarley looking spikes too, you could tell by the spikes it wasn't a young deer. If I ever see a spike that looks like that 3 1/2 and I have more than one buck tag, he's as good as in the freezer.