Recently got a button buck on camera that is significantly bigger than any of our other fawns and has already lost all of its spots. Do you think this deer was just born much earlier than our other fawns or is something else going on here? I feel like his pedicles look different than other button bucks I've seen as well.

First Pic - Button Buck in question
Second Pic - Other Fawns to compare

Not early born, but late, IMO. Late 2020, that is. He's 12-14 months old and if those pedicles are hard, technically a spike buck.

Dead on the money QSYB!

He is likely a super late fawn from last year

He has hardened pedicles, not nubbins

👍👍

He could have been born the same time as the rest fawns last year also. He may just be genetically challenged.

Sounds like he will be getting tagged out this year. He only showed up for a day on a camera closer to a border so can’t say I’ll get him or if he will even be on the ranch but I’ll try. That going to be tough to identify in the field though once this years buttons spots fade. Hopefully those pedicles stand out

Going to go with a late fawn from last year also. The wife and I were on our evening walk last week and saw a pair of fawns that were about 2 weeks old. We have lots of fawns that are coming to our feeder that look like the ones in your second picture, these were very, very small. We also are way out of balance, very doe heavy.

At that age they are Freckles

We still have a couple fawns around that haven't lost their spots.

Good point. Illness, lost mom at a young age but survived, several options.

I have seen spikes that were born in late April or May in areas with early ruts. Their "spikes" were from barely breaking the skin to easy to see, so when they were born really has no bearing on their end result. This year, I have one spike like the one in the OP's pic. He was never in a feed pen pic(did not set up pens till early June) and was born/raised in the hill country. Genetics and lack of nutrition were not on his side this year. I have also seen very small does on this place....body weights are very small compared to other does. Deer numbers are the major issue on the supporting habitat. Having spike genetics never helped them no matter what the numbers or habitat were like.