Check out the spikes on this dude

[TexMax]

If there are several other deer in his age class that have made much more significant improvements in headgear is blaming range conditions still plausible?

[LastHurrah]

Take it down!

[Bweger]

Where are you in Montague County? I'm up in the corner of Wise and have a VERY similar spike on our place.

This place is right on the Montague/Cooke County line

[TX_Hoghunter]

A spike is only a cull if he is 2 1/2 or older. On younger deer there are just too many variables to know for sure. He could have been born late, his mother may have been a bad milker, his mother could have been killed while he was young,........I could keep going, but I hope you see my point. If you just want to kill something kill a doe. It has been fairly well proven that by the age of 4 1/2 the average score of spikes and non-spikes are the same.

-john

[TexMax]

It has been fairly well proven that by the age of 4 1/2 the average score of spikes and non-spikes are the same.

-john

Link?

[TX_Hoghunter]

I will look for it, but Dr. Kroll is the main guy behind the research in Texas and I think Mississippi State in MS. The long quoted study from the TPW stopped looking at the bucks at age 3 1/2. At that point the spikes are still a little behind, but if they would have just expanded their studies one more year they would have gotten opposite results.

-john

[ShaBow]

A spike is only a cull if he is 2 1/2 or older. On younger deer there are just too many variables to know for sure. He could have been born late, his mother may have been a bad milker, his mother could have been killed while he was young,........I could keep going, but I hope you see my point. If you just want to kill something kill a doe. It has been fairly well proven that by the age of 4 1/2 the average score of spikes and non-spikes are the same.

-john

This! If a youngster wants to take him great but as far as him being a cull he's not.In fact at 1.5 yrs old a large spike is supposed to turn into a better deer than a 1.5 yr. old small spike and the range conditions are a whole nother story this year!

[jooger17]

I'm staying out of this one... Cool spike, they've gotta be 9 or 10"!

[jooger17]

I will look for it, but Dr. Kroll is the main guy behind the research in Texas and I think Mississippi State in MS. The long quoted study from the TPW stopped looking at the bucks at age 3 1/2. At that point the spikes are still a little behind, but if they would have just expanded their studies one more year they would have gotten opposite results.

-john

No I'm not.... A spike is a cull if the man wants him dead on his place! It makes no difference if the deer is 6 months old or 16 years old. If HE deems the deer undesirable on HIS place then the deer IS a cull. I don't believe spikes are genetically inferior but it chafes me when someone trys to tell a man what a cull is on their place.
Carry on.

[TX_Hoghunter]

Here is a link to an article but not the study. Basically it alks about how Dr. Kroll tried to get the state to take the spike harvest out of AR counties.

-john

http://www.wildlifemanagementpro.com/2008/03/06/deer-management-spike-debate-continues/

[TX_Hoghunter]

No I'm not.... A spike is a cull if the man wants him dead on his place! It makes no difference if the deer is 6 months old or 16 years old. If HE deems the deer undesirable on HIS place then the deer IS a cull. I don't believe spikes are genetically inferior but it chafes me when someone trys to tell a man what a cull is on their place.
Carry on.

Ok show me where I told him not to kill it? He is free to do anything he wants to do. I just like for people to be educated on the topic at hand and all current studies indicated that 1 1/2 year old spikes are not culls.

-john

[TX_Hoghunter]

Here is a like that talks about the study also.

-john

http://www.qdma.com/what-we-do/articles/deer-biologymanagement/spikes-antler-equation/

[TX_Hoghunter]

Out of time to find any more so here is the last one. A study from Alabama. I did not read it all, just did a search on spike and it takes you to the results.

-john

http://www.outdooralabama.com/hunting/game/deer/deerbook.pdf

[ShaBow]

I will look for it, but Dr. Kroll is the main guy behind the research in Texas and I think Mississippi State in MS. The long quoted study from the TPW stopped looking at the bucks at age 3 1/2. At that point the spikes are still a little behind, but if they would have just expanded their studies one more year they would have gotten opposite results.

-john

Dr. James Kroll did this long-term free range study here in Texas!It was a 10yr study of hundreds of free range deer and his conclusion was if a buck is culled based on his antlers at 1.5 you will be right 2%of the time.At 2.5 10% of the time and at 3.5 42% of the time.If you cull at 3.5 based on frame and antler size it bumps to 60% of the time.This study is in the Oct.,Nov.,Dec. issues of North American Whitetail 2006 or you may google it.The author of the articles is Ben H.Koerth!The title is "Can we cull bucks?"For the record Im not trying to tell you what to shoot or not to shoot by any means but this is an interesting study to read!

[Tommyh]

i say let her take him if she wants it and its legal