Dang man you are reading WAAAAAAY more into my comment than what is really there. I was never questioning if your son was really a student of his or not. I simply stated that since he is a student of his then he ought to know you are wrong in your assumption that 90% of all spikes will aways be spikes.

Yes all opinions are welcome here but if you are going to make statements such as the 90% of all spikes will always be spikes then at least back it up with some data. Those type of comments are not opinions......they are false facts and you gotta expect someone to call BS on it.

Lighten up a little bit.

"Attacked"??????

Who attacked you???

Hey Adam_p...you forgot the sentence after that "quote" from my post. .... kinda like the liberal media? Come on man, I made it clear there are always exceptions. Is this blog about hunting each other or about hunting deer? good grief.

And JCB I never said that my son made the comment, did I?

I know he didnt make that comment.......YOU did. I just stated that he ought to know you are wrong. Just ask him.

No, I do not believe that is the case. Justification is needed when someone is doing something that isn't considered right or normal.

There is no county in Texas where you can take a buck deer that a spike ANY spike is not considered a legal buck deer. That is all that is of any consequence or matter at all. It is legal, so it is a persons legal decision to take that legal game animal..period, end of discussion.

You can point to studies that say most spikes will grow into something else. You can also talk to hunters that have watched them turn into inferior deer. It's an opinion. I agree being born late has a factor in it, drought - not so much. I'm seeing just the same number of spikes (one) this year as I have seen in each of the last 5 years. And just like every year (except last year when I let him walk because my freezer was full) - he's walking sausage.

Earl

They need to justify the taking of extra deer on overcrowded leases to maintain memberships & per person costs. I see it a lot in ETX and 99% of places need every buck they can get on a place.

Earl,

You are 100% correct, sir. You may legally shoot all of the spikes you like.

I've hunted average, unmanaged property and I've hunted highly managed property. Interestingly, we always saw far fewer spikes on well managed property. Even more interestingly is that we never shot spikes. We shot the heck out of does though. Keep the numbers below the carrying capacity and the spike problem seems to be a non-issue. There's very few spikes.

We don't shoot baby deer, regardless of sex. It's generally frowned upon anywhere I hunt. So if someone does do it, they have to make up an excuse to justify it.

I'm not telling anyone how to hunt, manage or what to shoot/don't shoot. But don't try to feed a line of BS that I have first hand experience with and expect me to buy it. Ain't happenin'.

Y'all don't kill babies and yet don't have spikes? Do any of yalls fawns hit breeding weights late in the yr to produce late born offspring? Just asking... Stxranchman pass it please------ thank you

Personally feel this thread has been beat to death...(as the op knows) almost to a point of trolling.


Kerr didn't say spike always a spike just that by % they will score lower at maturaty then branch antlered bucks.. Kerr made this discovery after line breeding a spike yearling to his children, and a breeder buck to his children...two tall trees with no branches...something that would never happen in the wild.

Most ranches don't have the number of Hunter buck tags to be effective in culling..

The decision of Shooting spikes is at level 6 out of most good management plans...the other 6 things should be addressed first

We have very few spikes to kill. Most 1.5's have split antlers. Why? Nutrition. We keep the numbers below the carrying cap. by killing does. Also have a 1.5:1 doe to buck ratio.

Killing spikes is nowhere in our management plan. Therefore, we do not kill babies...1.5 year olds constitute a baby in my book.

Talking about baby does

Ah...gotchya. Now that I think about it some of the does we kill might very well only be 1.5 yo's.

I'll rephrase...We don't kill baby bucks.

It's dark...where are the pics

Bobo,
Remember that scene from Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, where the Governor is dodging everybody's questions? I think he was singing about "doing a little sidestep".

Is it just me or does Stx's response sound something similar to that? Could this be akin to "Waffling"?

Pretty sure his stance is to shoot everything but 8pt+ yearlings or spikes with 12" droptines... I could be wrong though.

Might be practicing to pack one out.

I didn't forget anything. You are flat wrong with your stats. Spikes that become something other than spikes are the rule NOT an exception. I have hunted everywhere in the state of Texas and have never in my entire life seen a mature spike. But I have seen spikes that turned into 200" deer.

Waffle with a side of doe...that's a new one

And yes, we will count Dr. Waffles side step as a waffle

Well said Land Pirate!!!!!! I agree!!

And that spike turning into a 200" buck is an exception, not the rule.

http://ckwri.tamuk.edu/fileadmin/user_up...9_web_PART2.pdf

Glad I don't go to SFA where I would have to learn under Dr. Kroll and his nonsense.

http://ckwri.tamuk.edu/

If you want a good site to learn about deer that is unbiased, check that one out. All the research done out there lasts for 10 years to give research enough time to develop and to get a good amount of data as well.

apparently he's been fixin' us a big ol' plate of waffles.

Please don't tell me your reasoning for shooting spikes is a 12% difference in bc score on a bell curve..
Not only that the link also says a HF is mandatory for any culling program to work. Also states they have seen a spike go to 155 on free range..

So culling spikes on free range does what?

Research and theory are only as good as their practicality. For most hunters in tx..culling genetics is a wasted effort or an excuse to use second buck tag..and there for its truely is not a dedicated culling program that will have any soon or this or next decade effect.

Ps I'm a TSU grad also

Nope I bet he let a spike or 8 pt walk tonight