Spike down

Isn't much, but got to get rid of them...

Some good straps and chili meat

Good eating period.

Why would you want to get rid of a 1 year old buck?

Sausage

Because, he can and it's legal.

Anyway, congrats.

We shot one this weekend too. Have seen multiple yearlings with up to 8 points and seems like every doe that hops out of the brush has twins, some deer are going to need killing this year.

One of my questions is why can we shoot spikes if we are trying to have deer grow bigger? I know there are some old spikes but all of the ones I have seen are only about a year old and I haven't seen all that many. I am not saying the law should change I'm just curious of the reason behind it.

Great job on the deer!!!

Many believe me included that "MOST" spike yearlings are genetically inferior to their branched antler buddies.

because why waste 4 more years worth of groceries on a deer that couldn't do better than spikes during the very best ecological conditions in a decade..........

I have seen pictures of spikes turning into monsters. Realtree has an article out of a deer they started taking pics of and it started out as a spike but ended up being a booner buck.

I have seen real life and percentages say otherwise..... there are only so many plates at the table, fill those spots with the highest potential producers is as simple as that.

Are spikes even all that common? I have been hunting 11 years and have only seen 4

Wow you should try looking harder.

His land, his deer, his tag, his decision.

Congrats OP! Here in Fort Bend County where I hunt there are times where I see 2-3 spikes at the same time eating corn. I usually kill one a year for extra meat and so most of our hunters. I know they exist, but I personally have never seen a spike more than a 1.5 old in close to 20 years on this lease. I believe most are late born, but who cares! When someone starts paying my hunting bill they can start questioning which deer I kill. Congrats again OP dont let the negative people dictate your decisions

I
^^ and cant a guy post a pic of a deer he is proud of without someone questioning he or she's justification or reason to do so?

Meat in the freezer! Congrats on the buck.

Easy there big guy it was just a question. I dont know his ranch he may be covered up with them. I was asking a question...

He didnt say he was proud of it, he said he got rid of it, I was asking why. Try reading before you post.

Do as I say not as I do post then?

Geez is this the duck forum? Please tell me what I missed there stx?

Notice to everyone--

There is a zero tolerance policy. Wether it's a 170", spike, gov tag, etc we will not tolerate shots at people's animals. PERIOD


OP- congrats on the animal!!!

Three were seen by me and a friend opening morning in Houston County. My friend took one of the two that he saw, and would have taken the other had I not reminded him he could not shoot another buck if he did.

The one that I saw could have had forked antlers so I held off. It was still getting daylight at the time.

I am in camp county. I have seen one this year I could not get a shot on. That was the first one I have seen in a couple years.

For us they are just numbers. If we are in good shape on deer density then we wouldn't worry about shooting them. If we need to thin out some numbers then they are usually easier to harvest and allow you to leave behind the best of your young and middle aged deer. This year we have seen a handful of them and will likely try to shoot at least a few of them. Deer numbers seem strong this year, and though the deer look in good condition, the range dried up some here the last couple months and the deer you can tell are getting hungrier. will be good to take some mouths off the range before harder winter and rut set in.

we've also killed 16 hogs in the last two months. I would imagine a pseudo adult hog would consume as much as a deer would. but I don't know. Anyone have any information on that?

Just to answer your question, because we have had many cases of letting 1 year old spikes go and not removing them only to see them become the same thing year after year. I believe it is important to remove these bucks from the gene pool so that we may see quality bucks in the future and less inferior bucks, like a spike. Although it isn't much meat being so young, it's better to have them removed than to see them reproduce.

Are you saying that the spike would grow spikes again next year? or he had a statistically higher percentage chance of growing an inferior rack when compared to his branched antler counterparts?

In the big scheme of things I don't think your changing the genetics on a low fence property at all and unless its an extensive culling program probably not much on a HF property either. What you do accomplish is removing a mouth from the range that feeds the rest of the deer.

I'm not saying that it will change the entire genetics of every deer out there. All I'm saying is that when you have a lesser population of inferior bucks, the less likely it is that you will see more.

ONE spike in 30k plus game camera pictures from last year to present. Some people just don't have that many

I bet a lot more have them than don't.

Good shot and Congrats!

I saw three spikes Saturday morning. Finally got a neighbor to cull does last year. They took around 20, and another neighbor hammered does too. I suspect the spikes I saw were mainly a result of losing momma so early in life. 2 of the 3 were very small, like dress 45-50 lbs small, leading me to believe they were young and/or stunted. Sunday morning I saw three forkhorns, and all our deer are fat, so I know it's not food.

If you need to remove mouths, you might as well use the spike tag in an AR county if you have other young bucks that are ahead of the curve. I typically prefer to shoot does, because that removes future mouths too, but we do as much as we can.

Can spikes become big deer? Sure, but under average conditions they'll almost always be behind their classmates. If you need to take them, take them, if you have the luxury and you think they're aren't genetically inferior, leave 'em and see what happens.

My brothers wife shot a yearling spike Saturday evening. It weight 100 lbs live and 80 dressed. South texas, and we haven't had much of any rain since spring.