I've always hated spikes, call it an obsession, but I get pissed when I see a spike. I always held the belief that spikes should be killed. I then read a study by Dr. Harry Jacobson, the world famous deer biologist from Mississippi State University who "grew" a B&C buck that was a first year spike. Then studies followed that showed that being a spike first year had no relation to future antler size. Those studies basically changed the way QDM was performed in Mississippi. I agree that young spikes, 3pts etc can develop to be a nice bucks. But, this thinking has also led to us letting some inferior deer survive IMO. I'm starting to see an abundance of 130-150lb spikes 3pts, etc. While these deer may become a decent deer someday, they will never IMO become a trophy.

What are you thoughts on this topic? At what point(weight/age class) do you decide that a spike or small buck will not meet the potential you are looking for?

If he's a couple years old or older...and still a spike, he's probably a scrub that won't amount to much.
However...IMO, the majority of the spikes out there do not fall into this catagory. They are more likely late born deer, that have used up all their energy developing thier bodies...leaving little left for their first set of antlers. This is very common in areas with overpopulation, and skewed breeding periods.
Of course, we don't know for sure if those older spikes will ever amount to much, and once you shoot him...he'll never get any bigger.

I guess that depends on what your definition of a trophy is now doesn't it? In my neck of the woods, despite recent changes in the deer program, an eight pointer of just about any size is considered a trophy locally though I am sure there are some real brutes as well.

I guess I fall into the camp that believes a spike could definitely become a trophy at some point.

I agree..

I see lots of spikes where I hunt. Yet most of the mature deer I see have decent head gear.

Since I do not shoot Trad..........I let em walk........[:-][:-][8D]

FOTFLMAO


Seriously though, a lot of the mature deer I see do not have good head gear. We kill a bunch of 4 1/2 year old deer that wouldn't even make the P&Y minimum.... We have the nutrition, the age, but the genetics are all screwed up in many areas of my state.

Also, we have a serious problem with "cull" bucks.

If you are practicing QDM you should pass on them unless they are mature, right???!!! Isn't that what QDM is all about? Let them age, watch them, get to know them, you will see the deer's individual potential then.

No, if they do not have trophy potential, they should immediatley be killed.

How do you know if they have "trophy potential" until they get mature and show you?[&:]

My property grows some huge bucks, however, because it is so thick, the yearling bucks rarely disperse, so we have an inbreeding problem. Bucks with antlers that grow down, bucks with 8 - 10 points and a total of about 5" p&y, and we have a few gigantic 175 - 200 lbs spikes and 4 points.

Here is a 3.5 year old 165 lb 10 point.


and a 7.5 year old 240 lb 8 point.


and another of the 8.


and a giant 4 point from our property.



ps, excuse the picture quality..el cheapo digital.

How do you know they don't have trophy potential?

An analogy........our cat was by far the runt of the litter, I guess that is why my wife and kids picked him when the lady was giving kittens away. He has grown up to be much bigger and healthier than the other cats from that litter. At 5 yrs. old, I would say he is a trophy cat.