duke1217

i have been trying to manage the bucks on some private property and have always heard the saying that once a spike always a spike does anyone know if this is true or just a old wisesaying. i have seen two different ones on the property and i dont know if i should take them as management bucks or not.


thanks

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txhunter58

In my experience and from what I have read, this statement is not true. Nearly every spike whitetail in my neck of the woods (Texas) is a yearling. However, research does show that if you take 10 bucks that UNDER GOOD NUTRITION are spikes as yearlings and 10 bucks that had a branch antlers as yearlings, the spike group as a whole that are yearlings will never have as good of antlers when they get older. Therefore, if you are trying to increase the quality of bucks on your hunting area, at the expense of buck numbers, you should shoot spikes, especially in years when nutrition is very good.

The research does show that some spikes will eventually be good bucks and some branch antler yearlings won' t amount to much. But the AVERAGE buck that is a forky at 1-1/2 years will be a better buck later on.

Bottom line is that if you shoot every spike you see you will probably increase the genetics of the herd faster, but you won' t have many older bucks for a few years. I take a middle of the road approach. I have a quota of spikes that is 1/2 the number of " trophy" bucks allowed on my property. Also, NEVER shoot a yearling that has a forked antler.

TeXLaXHunter

I agree with Txhunter. I am also from Texas, I have never seen a full grown spike. There are probably some that are full grown and are spikes but I have never seen one. Usualy if it will be a small deer it will not stay a 1X1 but maybe go to 2X2 or 3X3. I agree with the middle of the road aproach. Shoot the older spikes but always remember, You kill it you eat it in term of non-varmits, pests, etc. If you kill and dont eat than you start almost poaching, its a bad habit and anyways the meat is good.

Ballistictip

I have seen a couple of spikes that were in the 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 age bracket. This is very rare and these bucks have very little chance of ever having a large rack unless the lack of nutrition is the cause which is highly unlikely. Generally a spike is just a yearling buck and body shape and size will indicate that. I would pass on them unless you can determine that it is a mature buck. Give them a few years and you will have some wall hangers.

huntnma

the spike i got was 2.5 years old...i was glad about that, i had never had gotten a deer and i had just let the one spike walk, then this one came by, i couldn' t pass this one too.....but i would try to resist to take another.....let the lil ones grow.....

Russ otten

Mississippi has taken the judgement out of the hands of the hunter. Legal bucks must have 4 0r more points. Spikes are illegal. So that question here is mute.So, if there are spikes in MS we will soon find out if they get older and their racks don' t improve.

Russ

Buckshot

Read an article by Leoanard LaRue, that went in depth about spike bucks and what causes them to be spikes. The article stated that 95% of the time a buck with spikes is a late born fawn of the last year, that seems to pan out with what Ive seen in WV, I usually see about 4-5 spikes every year and all of them are little deer, and dont seem very far along in development.

jasonthehunted

read in a recent magazine article that a study over a 10 yeare period showed that most 1.5 year old spikes had actually caught up with other bucks antler growth by the time they got to be 3.5, its for the most part a nutritional thing. They are young, they arent too bright, dont know everything that they can eat yet, and mostly dont even get in on the breeding. Im sure there are exceptions to this rule, and every couple of years we will see an older spike, but most often it is a 1.5 year old. There are lot of variables to good management but shooting any 1.5 year buck is not one of them. my 2 cents

trophyhuntr

Dont just look at his horns look at his body, eight inch spikes and a large body i am not saying he will always be a spike, i am saying he is behind in pts. not what you manage for