Had two young bucks show up for the first time on my cameras this week. One is a spike. The other a 4 pointer with no brow tines. Both are young deer.
I know that typically the spike won't ever be anything but a spike, he may end up becoming my son's first buck if he were to show up in a couple of weeks.
However, will the 4ptr develop brow tines as he matures? I did see one study by KERR WMA that said that 90% of all 3.5 to 4.5 year old bucks w/o brow tines did nto have them as yearlings, however - they did not reference how many yearlings w/o brow tines developed them as they matured.
Just trying to determine if he has a decent enough chance of developing the brow tines as he gets older.
I hunt in south texas and my opinion would be to let them walk. Our management progam is we will only shoot deer at 5 1/2 years old. Give them a few years and then decide. A spike normally will grow into a 8 pointer at best.
It's 100 acres low fence with no management programs in place on the surrounding properties - so one of those may end up being my sons first deer, we'll see which one shows up first. I too thought that 4ptr was likely 2.5 so feel there is a good chance he'll never have brow tines.
That same Kerr study I referenced said that many of the deer with no brows had been spikes as yearlings (90%), so I'm not so sure that young spike will develop into an 8-ptr. It's possible they are from the same genetically (bad) father.
The spike has made only the one appearance so far, but the 4ptr has showed at both feeder locations on my place and at all hours - night, morning, afternoon, and evening. If he keeps up that routine for 2 more weeks he may end up winning the prize for my boy. It is funny how they can go from not being on any camera to showing up on all of them in one week. I put out some C'Mere Deer last weekend, don't know if it is coincidence or the stuff really worked.
The 8-ptr I want is still coming too but unfortunately is still a dang vampire. he's getting closer though, coming out at 8pm now....still need to shave that by a couple of hours or so.
IMO : Take the fork horn , that is a trait that will be past on . I have seen an 18" 6pnt. taken off our place . I past on a smaller 6pnt. last year hoping my stepdad would get him "should have busted him while I had the chance". As for the spike ? we had plenty of rain this year . If he is older than 6mo. its a judgement call , either would be a dandy first buck ! Good Luck to you both .
Both deer are young. Your best bet would be to take the "dad" out!!! Either way, both would be a good first for your boy. Last year, I had a 4 point on my camera. Very tall tines but no spread. This year he is a 8 pt, but still no spread. He needs to be taken out but under the "new" rules, he doesn't quailify. Has to be 13" wide. He may be 10" at best. I just don't think he will get any wider just by the pics from last year to this year. Soooooooooo, what do ya do about that??
I know, bust him and say "OPPS"!!! LOL
if you need deer meat shoot em both it has been a great year for horn growth. this year they are both culls.
, but shoot em early, no sense in feeding em all year
As long as those spikes are and how wet the the year has been, I would shoot that spike. As for the other deer, it really depends on how many other bucks our on the place, the age structure, buck to doe ratio. If there is a 1:1, 1:2 ratio then we would not breed much and you could wait. If you dont have many bucks out there then you might want to let him walk. The best thing to do in my opinion is to get a balanced age structure first before you worry too much about culling. Then again on 100 acres, with no help from the other land owners, managment is a mute point
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
2 Cool Fishing Forum
7.4M posts
115.9K members
Since 2004
A forum community dedicated to anglers in the Texas area. Come join the discussion about fishing guides, bait, safety, gear, tackle, tips, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!