Too Shoot or Not To Shoot?
 

I had a spike come in at bow range this morning and I took him out. I heard so many different stories, like, if there young they have the potential to become a normal racked deer. If there old they will remain a spike and you should harvest, so that they don't breed more spikes. Anyone have a answer? By the way, the spike was young.

I heard the same thing... but I never shoot em. Never really had a problem with too many spikes. Rather fill my tag with a nice deer.

depends on the hunting you are doing if you trophy hunt old spikes will produce more spikes its simple genetics ( possible imbreeding) young ones may grow larger but if your meat hunting you cant eat the antlers anyway they taste worse than tag soup

I have watched and seen young spikes just grow bigger spies every year from my trial camera. I think you made a good choice becuase what I have seen in my whole life is that if they are going to be a good deer they will be atleast a forkenhorn by the time they are a year and a half old. And it gave you some nice meat to!

If it got your heart pumping and made you smile when you walked up on it, not only was it a good choice to shoot, but it's a trophy!

X2 exactly

To me a spike is a buck the is a 2 pt with the 2 points growing straight up (like a unicorn). I don't know if that is accurate, but it is my assesment of a spike.

With that said, I have only seen 2 deer that look like that in my 25 years. I have seen several 2 pointers in my career, but the all had a forward curve typical of what you would expect a main beam to have. The few that I harvested upon close inspection appeared to have "nubs" as if they were getting ready to sport tines but the groth didn't materialize. These deer was all 1.5 year old deer with their first rack.

just my observations

It is not only based on genetics, it is also based on nutrition, we have some properties that produce 4 or 5 spikes a year, but on the land we have managed the longest, there are a rare few spikes, I attribute it to the food sources that they have available (massive late spring and summer plots during the antler growing season).

But then again who am I to talk, I was blasted last week about shooting 3 1/2 year old 6 pointers and calling them "gene pool liabilities". :-)

I agree with most everyone, if it tickles ya when you pull the release and walk up on it; more power to ya!

There is solid scientific proof (read Dr. James C. Kroll research papers) that Spikes are NOT inferior deer when these bucks are simply yearlings (1 1/2 year olds). These deer have consistently shown normal antler development and in some cases, world class genetics. There is simply NO REASON to kill a Spike over any other yearling buck.

Unless you want to. Don't worry about what other people shoot. Shoot what you want - as long as it is legal etc.