11/16/2023 0 Comments Spike deer in tx![]() “I don’t like to use a sample size of only three or four bucks,” Durham said, “but during this recent study that we just finished, we collared a 1 1/2-year-old spike that turned into a really fine 8-point the very next year. Late-born deer don’t put on antler growth like a young early born deer.”ĭurham says this comparison has to be made within the same region even in the late-breeding areas because deer born at the beginning of a particular region’s birthing period are going to have a better start than those born later. They don’t start making antlers until their skeletal and muscle growth are first satisfied. “We do have a lot of late breeding, especially in Areas 1 and 6, and deer born later don’t have the same ability to develop. ![]() “All spikes are not equal even among an age class,” Durham said. It could have been orphaned really early as a fawn. There is a big difference between robust 120-pound spikes with good mass and 6-inch spikes and 80-pound pencil spikes that are less than 3 inches long. You don’t want to shoot them in the same proportion as does, but bucks eat groceries, too.” “It’s OK to harvest some yearling deer because I think, overall in deer management programs, you need to harvest x number of bucks. “I don’t really prescribe to that personally,” Durham said. As a result, many quality deer management types advocate passing all the yearlings no matter their antlers. Lots of researchers believe it is best to look at a deer at 2 1/2 years old to determine its genetic potential. There’s no way to tell what they’re going to eventually be when you’re looking at a year-and-a-half-old deer.” That’s kind of comparing means among age classes, though. Higher-scoring younger deer are, on average, likely to be higher-scoring older deer. “Some Mississippi studies have shown that lower-scoring deer are likely to be, on average, lower-scoring older deer. “Forget about spikes for a moment,” Durham said. Is it wrong for me to want to at least see some nicer deer? I’ll even settle for seeing them on my camera. ![]() However, spikes are just about all I see except for does when I go hunting. I’ll shoot a spike just a quickly as any other deer if I need some sausage in the freezer. However, individual deer are just like individual people, and that’s the rub.” Spikes can end up being really good deer later on. “You can shoot down the adage about ‘once a spike, always a spike,’” said Louisiana Deer Study Leader Scott Durham. Hopefully he could shed some light on my situation. I decided to call the voice of reason when it comes to Louisiana’s deer population. The local advice, while well-meaning, was based more on individual biases and prejudices than sound scientific findings. However, the studies I found on the Internet were all from other states. That’s how badly he wanted them off his property. One fellow actually told me that if two spikes were to come out, he would shoot the smallest one first and hope he could chamber another round before the bigger one ran away. To make matters worse, I have a habit of listening to all the local-yokel advice that is freely distributed at work, after church and in the Academy hunting department. Another study recommended never shooting a spike as it shot down the old adage about ‘once a spike, always a spike’ with pictures of yearling spikes that turned into 8-point 2 1/2-year-old bucks. One study recommended shooting spikes to keep their inferior genetics from getting passed down to future generations. That’s why I spend more time looking up spike research on the Internet than I do my fantasy football stats. Should I shoot them? Should I let them walk? Should I shoot some and leave others? Is there something wrong with my land? My deer? I’ve got so many I don’t know what to do with them. ![]()
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