chicken cow
Banned
Ive seen young spikes and Ive seen older cow horn spikes...I just cant shoot a young buck cuz he's a spike. some people want them out of the herd, but I still think he has potential..whats yalls take?
Welcome Guest!
Is a spike always a spike?
- Thread starter chicken cow
- Start date
dawg2
AWOL ADMINISTRATOR
Many spikes become trophy bucks.
mountain cat
Senior Member
If you shoot him he will always be a spike!
mountain cat
Senior Member
but no a spike is not always going to be a spike.
XJfire75
Senior Member
Most of our yearling(1-1.5) bucks are spikes or small fork horns up here. We let them all go. A good long beamed spike to us is a buck with good potential in a couple years.
we havent shot any spikes in 4 years and weve seen less spikes every year.
we havent shot any spikes in 4 years and weve seen less spikes every year.
bowhunter2246
Senior Member
We have a deer that has been a spike for the last two years, same markings same antlers, I have seen other websites with people who have shot spikes that aged 3-4 yrs, Very rare but It can happen
R
redneckcamo
Guest
some maybe ....but not all !!
j.irvin
Banned
No, not all spikes are inferior deer. But I did shoot a pie bald one that was 7 yrs old once.
fuller2100
Member
they may not always be a spike but they sure dont have the genes you want in your heard. i had a basket rack 8 run in front of my truck leaving camp last month that was no bigger than a dog and had spots. i have read many books about deer having racks their first fall but never witnessed so i talked with the dnr a week later and they have actually seen the same deer several times through the summer. i always give a deer its fair chance to grow but if your looking for a potential 150+ it wont come from a spike
Yes , but only if you shoot him. I dont know who has the collection now but Bear Archery Museum that was in Gainesville Fla had a collection of all shed racks from a pen raised buck, he was a spike the first rack and grew to be a massive trophy by the age of 6-7 years.
young gunna
Banned
Every trophy buck was a spike at one point!
XJfire75
Senior Member
I beg to differ on both accounts. Give the deer a few years and 9 times out of 10 theyll have quite a few more points than just a spike.
A yearling spike could definatley make it to 150+ class. Give him decent food and let him go til 6 or so and it could happen. Maybe not in GA(a lot of mature GA bucks dont even come close to 150) but its not uncommon in other midwest states.
mauser64
Senior Member
Hypothetical situation: You are the game manager on a property anywhere in the country. You have 2 - 1.5 yr old bucks, one is a 6 ptr with a 10 inch spread one has 2 - 4" spikes, same food, same window on being born but different parents. Which one do you want eating your feed and food plots and running around spreading his genes? If you're honest about it you have to make the obvious logical choice...the 6 ptr. If you do, you are saying that the spike is inferior, which is what I believe. Maybe the spike will be a decent buck one day but the 6 is more likely to do it and will most likely do it faster, say in 3.5 yrs vs 4.5 or more ( if at all ) for the spike, and I know they are not fully mature at that point but at 3.5 you will know what you have on your hands as far as racks go.
I'm not saying that a spike will always be a spike or that he will never develop but at 1.5 years old he IS inferior to a branch antlered buck of the same age and is starting out at a disadvantage.
I'm not saying that a spike will always be a spike or that he will never develop but at 1.5 years old he IS inferior to a branch antlered buck of the same age and is starting out at a disadvantage.
fuller2100
Member
key word is pen raised deer. you can prolly make a doe grow horns in a pen not knowing everything that is taking place only what they want to publish. its a joke. were talking about the wild where the acorns are gone after several weeks and all the other winter food is gobbled up weeks after that. a spike that is mainly reliant on what land owners plant for them and dried up oak leaves as a diet will not grow into some trophy. i like what the other guy said you will know after 3 yrs but the reality is he is not going to be a bruiser
rex upshaw
Senior Member
no, a spike is not always going to be a spike. if looking to manage your heard, i wouldn't shoot any buck that is under 3.5 years of age, as you have no clue what their potential is prior to that.
XJfire75
Senior Member
But on most Georgia properties there's not an abundance of trophy bucks running around for the taking...
QDM.
QDM.
You can't say for sure. The 6 ptr may have been born a couple of months before the other deer or gotten better food during his antler development. The spike may have the better genes and turn into the better deer.
XJfire75
Senior Member
^ like in N Ga. It's not uncommon to have some fawns born in May and some not born til mid July. Buck to doe ratio is highly weighted towards does so naturally it takes longer to breed all the does.
That being said the earlier born buck fawn will be heavier and in better health to grow horns come spring if the next year. The later one for the most part is still developing and learning what to eat by winter.
I personally haven't seen but maybe one spike older than 1.5. And our habitat and natural food sucks up here.
Just because he's a 40lb 2nd grader doesn't mean he won't turn out to be a 200lb defensive lineman in high school.
I'm an example minus the 200lbs haha. I just took longer to get normal sized lol.
That being said the earlier born buck fawn will be heavier and in better health to grow horns come spring if the next year. The later one for the most part is still developing and learning what to eat by winter.
I personally haven't seen but maybe one spike older than 1.5. And our habitat and natural food sucks up here.
Just because he's a 40lb 2nd grader doesn't mean he won't turn out to be a 200lb defensive lineman in high school.
I'm an example minus the 200lbs haha. I just took longer to get normal sized lol.
