I haven't seen a single research paper that suggests not to shoot spikes? I don't see how you could read a documented research paper with 26 years of study and then say that genetics are not a big part of the equation.

I find it amazing that people won't bother to read scientific research on the subject and rather stick to their misconceptions.

Yes it does, but then having a big rack isn't necessarily the highest priority on Mother Nature's list of "optional features", surviving long enough to breed is much higher up the list.

http://www.thejump.net/Hunting_Articles/manage.htm

This is a pretty good article about the different factors affecting size and quality of a deer herd and how to better manage a herd.

Life Expectancy: Up to 15 years, but the average is 2 years for males and 3 years for females in the wild

10-4!

Do the numbers for life expectancy in the wild factor in that they are getting shot or is it independant of that and based on nutrition alone?

A spike can grow into a descent buck, will he be as big as a 1'st year 6 pointer, doubtfully.

I've learned a lot on deer genetics in the last year and remembered posting in some threads that shooting yearling spikes was possibly a good thing.

Well, I did a search and am going back to some of those old threads and posting that I was wrong. I do not feel that you should shoot yearling spikes. Culling free range deer does not work.

I was putting a lot of weight on the Kerr Study by Texas Parks and Wildlife and that was on pen raised deer. There have been some recent studies that pretty much show that culling free range deer doesn't work and I've seen several individual instances where yearling spikes have developed into very respectable deer later in life if given the chance.

Sorry for being ignorant and vocal in the past.

Nathan

Ive hunted the Chapparall WMA several times, I can tell you 15,000 high fenced acres is no pen.
Many huge deer skulls are found every year on that property that have never been seen before.
The biologist there do no sort of feeding at all, nothing, and there management practice is shoot all spikes, and all mature deer 7 points or less, which more than likely were a spike at on time in there life.

That place has had lots of 200" bucks and 10 times that many over 180", remember they do not feed.

While this thread is quite old, Dr. Deer himself had a good article on that subject a few months back, yet after the discussion in this thread on spikes took place.If I recall itcorrectly, they did an extensive study following deer as they maturedand by 5-6 y/o the majority of the spikes yearlings were sporting just as good quality and scoring racks as the 6-8 point yearlings. At 3-4 y/o the spikes weren't quite as big, but let them fully mature and they closed the gap.