Spike last year to a 9 pt this year

We thought he would not survive when TC spotted him last year as a spike and collar looked tight around neck. This year the collar appears looser and he is a regular at feeders and growing out nice. The collar does not have any numbers or tracker on it that can been seen (have lots of pics). Guess is that someone put the collar on him as a fawn and now he has returned to the woods.

Very nice and different with it having a collar

When he starts rutting and that neck swells up, that is going to be an issue. What idiot does that?!

Yeah I'd ask the gw to get with a biologist and fart that rascal to remove that collar.

Take that Kerr study!!!!

When I hunted Brady there was a buck that had a collar with a bell attached. You could hear him coming from a ways out.

Yep, I hate seeing this as I know it will be a problem for this buck. we have contacted GW to dart but deer did not show. I may ask for permission to tranquilize dart myself to remove collar as I'm sure he will show up while I'm on bow stand at some point.

Not sure what that's going to do, but at least you're doing something! LOL

I know you meant dart, but it sure does read funny as typed!!

I wondered what happen to that sucker

Here's a pic from 2017

Looks like someone bottle-raised him. Nice young 3pt.

yea, really went from a 3 pt last year to a 9pt this year. young deer and hope he survives if don't get that collar removed.

Nice buck hope he figures out a way slot shed the collar

That’s going to suck for that deer.

Lol...but he wasn’t a true “spike” would probably be their response.

Until he turned out to be branched antlered and not a spike.

Oh snap...those pesky little details. Is that a crow I hear....

Wait I thought TPWD defines a spike as one unbranched antler per Kerr study.... correct me if I’m wrong

1+1=2 or spike 1+2=3 or 3 pt.

As if you wouldn’t of culled him and used your spike tag

Oh snap...

Just playing the odds...playing the odds... Course it is always the unicorn that gets the publicity.

I figured you had atleast 10 more years of sound mind.... well atleast I was right about spike aka <1 branched antler tag....

What is your dilema for lack of common sense? You seem to know mine so I figure you could easily diagnose your lack of it...

By the way that is a great looking 2 yr old buck.

I hope he comes to my stand. I will give you the collar back when I tag him.

I would just get a handful of sweet feed and take it off him. He will probably readily come to you if you are slow and gentle with him. If not, he will look good on the wall come Christmas time.

I see you been working on your Juris Doctor circular arguments....

I hate that he has the collar but what a great tool for you to be able to see the progression from a 3pt to a 9pt in one year. I hope you can let him go to see what he becomes next year.

Yep the collar defeats the argument of "is it the same buck" year to year pic questions. Just corn year round and to my knowledge no protein on surrounding properties either and no ag crops in area. This is a small low fence property with surrounding hunters that I'm thinking will shoot him on site even though not mature. Waiting for rubbed out pics hoping he shrinks to not AR legal to hopefully give him a longevity chance. Pics of other bucs I have as compared to last year also showing some better development to which I'm surprised as this place is really hog infested to which we try to take fairly regularly year round. Just multiplying to dang fast.

I knew when I posted pic from last year of one unbranched antler split to barely call a 3pt would get some attention. Spike vs legal unbranched antler debate, lol. Point is young deer made a tremendous jump in antlers to a nice 9 pt this year on a small free range, low fence, non-protein, non-crop surrounding area place in very dry spring/summer, water is virtually gone on this property.

Maybe he has some really potent farts???

Like some always tell me...."imagine what he would do if you fed protein"

Always cool to see progression pictures...just hate to see them that way. We had a deer that someone put a collar on. He made it to a 3yo before it finally started killing him and we shot him out of mercy. He was raised from a fawn and would be waiting when we went to put the corn out.

Neat pic and cool story. Amazing the jump he made from a 3 point to what he is now in tough conditions

I'd like to know if you are able to dart him and get the collar off. If you do, take pics and post them! If you can't get the collar off of him, you may end up having to put him out of his misery.

It is not legal for just any individual to dart a deer in the wild in Texas without the approval or the proper permit.

Exactly, last year GW would not allow us to move forward with getting self approval to dart. Complicating factor is low fence free range to locate deer just when the GW/biologist comes out. Will be making inquiries again and may also ask for a permit for the collared buck only as last resort alternative if necessary.

If he went from a 3 to a 9, then it stands to reason that as a 9 he will be a 27 pointer next year.

^^^^^^^

OP had mentioned that he was going to ask permission to dart and remove collar, which is why I had made the above comment.

Kerr study doesn't say a spike will always be a spike...

I believe I may just be able to shoot the collar of that deer with my quality optics and superior shooting skills. If it gets too tight and he bulks up to over 225# give me a ring. Sucks it’s on the animal....

That’s sad to see. If his neck doesn’t swell enough to restrict his blood flow and breathing, another buck will probably get a tine or two hung under it while fighting.

I have a friend that had a doe that decided she was going to be a pet. She lived to be 17 years. He would put that surveying marking tape on her as a collar to tell which one she was, as she ran with the other deer. It was stretchy and would degenerate or get ripped off every few months, He would re-collar her when she came into the garage for dinner. He was afraid that a real collar would get hung on something or a buck would get an antler under it.