I agree with alot of the previous answers.

Young spike I wont shoot, but an older spike is a possiblity.

Hello Jenna whats new?

I would prefer to shoot a doe than a spike but if I have a tag left and it's the last day he's going down.

Older Spike, without hesitation. One of my buddies shot a 3 1/2 spike a few years back. It needed to be taken out of the Gene pool. Otherwise, no. If I havea doe tag, I would much rather take a big doe. If it is a interesting spike, maybe 12 inch spikes, then maybe if it looked to be 2 1/2 or older. Sometimes a big spike ismore interestingthan an average 6 point.

I usually let spikes walk but a lot of hunters I know do not, which is perfectly OK.
Hunting in low deer density areasmay not give us the luxury to see deer that often.
We often only see deer a few times a week.

I have let young bucks and does walk early in the seaon only to shake my head as the season comes to an end.
I don't second guess myself about that decision weeks earlier but having venison in the freezer may be more important than tugging on the antlers of that big, old, wise whitetail buck.
At least I think it might be...

Where it's legal- in a new york minute! In one of my clubs you can only shoot spikes during general gun season, not bow or muzzleloader.

I have only shot one. Im not sure how old it was but the spikes were a good 7-9 inches so ifigured it was an older one. And to top if all off, i won 300$ from thebuck pool from it .But other then that, i dont shoot spikes unless they are older.

Seriously guys....OLD spikes? How often do they occur? Can't more than a rare freak instance.

Not as rare as you maythink. A lot of it depends on where you are hunting. If the soil is poor or if the nutrition level is low, which can cause bad genetics,then you probably will see more spikes.Now, when I say older spike, I'm not necessarily talking about 3 1/2 plus. A 2 1/2 yr. old buck should not be a spike. On my property, if you see a 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 yr. old spike, he is probably never going to have a nice rack. I know this is not always true.I've killed several 2 1/2 yr. old spikes throughout the years on my place, and today I don't see manyspikes at all, other than the usual 1 1/2 yr. olds. There are always plenty of those.The typical 2 1/2 year old on my property is now a 6,7, or 8 point. I still do occasionally see 2 1/2 yr. old 3 and 4 points, but most of the time they are 1 1/2 year olds. Bottom line is, if you want to shoot a spike, then go for it. Like some of you said, if it's meat you want, it doesn't matter what's on top of the head. If you want more mature bucks, then let the younger spikes walk. Again, I let the 1 1/2 yr. olds walk, butif a 2 1/2 or older spike walks out, he could be in trouble.

i'm not holier than thou, if it's legal where i'm hunt'n...i'm drop'n the hammer.