You got to love them AR's.

A spike's antlers restrict him from living long a long life thanks to ARs!

Just a question, but who here really knows why you're allowed a spike in AR counties?

To allow more hunting opportunity while minimizing the risk of high-grading.
That's what they say anyway.

Spikes have next to zero to do with high grading in an AR county though.

I too would like to know why spikes are legal if the "general consensus" from biologists is that they are young deer. That seems to be what most articles or research points to, but of course there are other articles that point to other results as well.

I haven't yet hunted long enough in Nac. county to have an opinion on ARs yet, but it seems to me like a flat 1 buck bag limit would be better than allowing two bucks where the one that is most likely to be (legally) taken is under 3 years, and on average 1.5 years.

I say most likely to be taken because, on my family's land at least, the policy is all spikes are culls, and you only pass on a spike if a legal 8 pointer or bigger is with him...

They are trying to give ya something that they took something else away!

To give people something to shoot at.

Yes, they are young deer. But they are inferior young deer.

Shooting a spike is better than shooting a 1.5yr old 8 pointer

Because the wildlife biologists that study deer for a living have concluded that shooting ALL spikes is a necessary part of good whitetail herd management! Period.

I have to ask other than letting him grow up to be a wall hanger, why that is? Is it really all about the antlers then? I know I'll get blasted for asking though.

Probably. Maybe killing a 1.5yr old spike will save a 2.5 yr old deer?

Also will let someone that doesn't want to shoot the first buck over 13" they see a chance to shoot a deer. Hence, avoiding high grading. I want to shoot a deer, I see a spike and a decent legal 8 pointer. I can shoot the spike to put meat in the freezer if the 8 pointer is not the buck I'm looking for.

Not everyone wants to fill all of their tags every year. The spike rule gives people a chance to put an "inferior" deer in the freezer if they don't see the trophy buck they're after and don't get the chance to shoot a doe.

What's sad is, before the AR stuff, I bet a lot more spikes were allowed to live because a lot of hunters didn't want to use their one and only buck tag on it.

But was that at the expense of a lot of 1.5 yr old 6 and 8 pointers?

My only point was that it gives the discriminating hunter a choice. Did the idea probably backfire and now lead to a lot of hunters killing 2 spikes a year? Yes, probably.

I read a study a couple of years ago that made a lot of since to me; the theory is that there are two types of deer. Good deer and inferior deer, and three types of growing seasons for racks. Great nutrition, average nutrition and bad nutrition. Their study found that in great years, both types of deer could grow good racks. In average years the the good deer grew good racks and the inferior deer were average to below average. In bad years (such as this year) the good deer still had good racks and the inferior deer were below average and spikes. Their idea was that below average nutrition years are great years to cull your herds, because it is easier to pick out the outstanding racks.

Rick,
That was not targeted specifically at YOU. Perhaps poor wording on my part. I meant and should have said, "One cannot age deer by their antlers alone". Sorry if it appeared that I was attacking you specifically. That was not my intent.

...and you are correct in that I do not know what you can or cannot do. But if you can age deer by the way they smell, I'd like to see that. Can I borrow you and your nose sometime.

I've heard all of the old timers, for years, talk about shooting "old stag spikes". They're referring to bucks with 6"+ spikes and assume by the length that they must be older. It simply ain't true. Yes, some are older but most are yearlings.

Again, I was only trying to make a point, not a personal attack on you.

and we all like outstanding racks!

I shot a 2.5 year old spike last weekend. There is a spike study on a place I hunt, but that is looking at 1 year old spikes. a lot of them catch up by the age of 3, but the genetics are more controlled than your average place.

its to offset all the extra doe days in an attempt to balance the herd sex ratios. Folks get to kill more deer and those looking to manage can do so by harvesting an inferior buck to take a mouth out of their herd. Because it makes sense that if you are having problems finding bucks in general then you need to cull what little bucks you have and slaughter does.

I don't shoot spikes but would rather my neibhor take that then a 2.5 year old multi branched deer.. but Im luck and don't have to worry about either.

If I could just find a way to get them to hold off on 4.5 year old deer now

Buck dictator.....

I have 2.5 y/o spike in front of me now. Really thinking he should go.

Split his wig.

I like to consider the buck to doe ratio before taking spikes as culls and I buy into the good nutrition bad nutrition theory on number of spikes in a given herd in respect to the range conditions. But experienced hunter that can guess age by body configuration should be able to take old spike out.

FIFY