I have recently seen a buck that needed to be shot but im afraid to killit because of the ARs. I live in Wise by the way. Anyway before the season started i had pics of this little 1.5 YO with a fork on the right and three points on the left.He looked as if he had been hit by a car in the picture, or maybe gotten hung up in a fence, he was cut up on his left tarsal gland and had scraped and cuts here and there. Well Thanksgiving morning im in the stand watching this little crap head chaseing all my does around wishing he would leave and not run em off, when i noticed it was the same buck, however he was missing the left side. The sun came up high enough that i could see in my binos that he had not only broken it off, but it broke below the skin and ripped a long strip of the forehead flesh down past the eye right off exposing the skull. He seems fine, but it itches like crazy as he is constantly scratching at it with his back feet. The antler that is left is a fork. Is he a legal buck? I know the ARs say at least one unbranched spike, but what about a one horned critter? Im fairly certain he has lost his entire pedicle on that side. Skinner

That's a tough call here. According to the law you can't shoot him as he was branched on both sides, but then again, if that whole side is gone who is going to proof that that missing antler was not a spike but branched? Wildlife, including deer, are very hardy creatures and can recuperate from injuries which surely would be fatal to a human. We've seen it over and over in our shop by bucks that had been brought in with horrendous deformations due to a past injury that had healed over. If that little buck is chasing does, he is doing good. He could also succumb to an infection later on during the season. To shoot or not to shoot, I would say that's a call you will have to make based on your conscience.

it makes no difference what he was before, only what he is right now. if he has one unbranched, he is legal! but, im not sure how much of an "antler" he will ahve on the other side. Id say u will probably be alright with shootin him if u want.

He is legal. I asked a GW this last week, it is an unbranched antler.

Call the GW rather than take a chance if he says take him out then call him again after you harvest the buck. Then you are safe and you have back straps in the freezer.

Legal.

Legal

I say Legal. Also, doesn't the fork have to be longer than one inch to be considered a point?

Exactly right, called GW about that last year and that is exactly what he said.

What part of Wise? I hunt there as well.

I don't think he's legal. You said forked on one side and three points on the other. That wouldn't be a legal deer.

Still seeing chasing? I haven't in the past week.

Do yourself a favor and call the local GW and make sure you don't get in trouble. The GW's I know often wish that people would just call and ask instead of hoping for forgiveness.

Here is a related question. I saw what I thought was a spike this morning. Upon closer inspection, each antler had a small crab claw coming off the side. I let it walk, but was curious if it would be considered a legal spike. I don't think they were over 1", but I was afraid anything would be considered branched.

i think it has to be at least an inch, but im not sure did they make it 7/8in..dunno why that is poppin in my head, but it will tell u in the book

Legal or not it is a good policy to let them get 2 1/2 before shooting as a "spike" or cull buch. IMHO

1" is a point, 7/8" is not

I don't think it would be legal. If it was then if anyone shot a basket rack buck they could break off a side and make something up about seeing it one day and had only a spike on one side. I'm pretty sure he would have to have a horn on both sides!! On another note, what if he would of broke it off a few inches above his skull, would that be considered a unbranched antler??

I know a one inch is point for scoring and a 7/8 is not but does the same apply for legal. I don't know that the State of Texas cares what B&C says. Once again shooting 1.5 year old bucks is a bad idea anyway. Shoot a doe, they taste better. I don't see this going on a wall. Why shoot it now. But to each their own.

How did a game warden determine he is a legal deer? He does not have "at least one un-branched antler" as required. Unless the remains of the missing antler break the skin, it's not an un-branched antler. If a GW said shoot it, then I'd shoot it. But I'd danged sure get a picture of that GW smiling with the deer and a note saying it was a mercy killing or something. Another game warden may not see it as such.

The outdoor annual says 1" equals a point. Less than an inch = not a point = not a fork.

He is not legal a missing horn is not an unbranched antler

if he is missing a horn then that horn can't be branched when shot. So he is legal.

not B&C, straight out of the texas hunters annual for determing spikes

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/hunt/deer/index.phtml#special

That's not what the law says, though. It reads, and I quote, "At least one un-branched antler." How can an antler that's non-existant be un-branched? If the remains of the antler protrude through the skin and is un-branched, I'd say you're OK. But not having the pre-requisite un-branched antler, I gotta' stick with a no-shooter.

"Special Antler Restrictions do not apply to properties for which Level 2 or Level 3 MLDPs have been issued. For counties with Special Antler Restrictions, a legal buck deer has:

at least one unbranched antler, or
an inside spread of 13 inches or greater. The inside spread requirement does not apply to any buck that has an unbranched antler."

.

So does anyone have a final answer to this one? I asked a while back the same thing as we have been seeing a young deer with only 1 horn and all of us have let him walk...SO FAR

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