I've heard a lot of talk about shooting spike buck to take it out of the gene pool so not to reproduce more. I just assumed a spike is a young buck so why would you cull it? I guess I'm confused on the subject. I had a spike walk out on private property today and couldn't tell if it was a juvenile or older spike buck. Thanks
Guys are usually referring to a cow horn I think. Full grown adult buck with no points. Will still have a decent main beam. Has to be 10 inch main to shoot either way.
Shooting a cow horn spike is not going to accomplish anything. If you shooting meat and want it shoot it. But cull buck is another word for excuse. Cause that's all it is. Excuse to shoot a young deer for the most part. Shooting a few spikes ain't going to change the herd either. The does Carry same weight of genes so you'd have to shoot the doe and her momma and so on.
Cull buck is a term somebody justifies shooting a smaller rack buck. I'll shoot one and make no apologies for it. They justify it saying they're getting its genetics out of the herd. That's impossible to do. That one buck dispersed from property a distance away. So most places cannot get to mom and dad as well . Also any brothers and sisters,half brothers and sisters,cousins, aunts,uncles and grandparents on both sides. If it's breeding age then any offspring that might be produced. Even thou any sons will disperse to other properties.
In saying all this. I don't condone anyone for shooting whatever you want. Sometimes I will shoot a four inch spike if it's legal and sometimes wait for a twelve point. Depends where I am, laws, and how I am feeling that day. Shoot what you gonna eat.
Cull spikes should be old bucks that are still spikes. On our old club I had 10+ bucks that were 2+ years old that were still a spike. It's frustrating when you see a buck that is clearly 5+ years old with one 7 and one 3 inch spike walking around but you can't shoot it because it's not 3 points on one side or better.
Here is the fork horn I shot last fall. 160# Oklahoma deer. Same size everywhere except the neck as the 15 pointer right beside him. Sometimes them horns just don't grow.
Short answer: No. Don't ever shoot spikes if you are managing your herd for better bucks. Shoot deer based on age, not on their headgear.
Most Florida deer are going to be spikes at 1.5 y/o, especially South of I10 due to the poor soil quality. The longer spikes (the 10" or longer ones) are usually the earlier born 1.5 y/o bucks in the area or the ones with better genes. This is where Florida is really screwing up by allowing these to be harvested...they are allowing the best of the 1.5 y/o class of bucks to be taken.
When most people talk about cowhorns, they are talking about 1.5 y/o spike bucks that just have really long spikes....but true cowhorns are older bucks. They are 3.5 or 4.5 y/o bucks that have been given some time to express their genetic antler potential, but never really amount to anything. Usually, they will have some points on one side and a single horn on the other. If you can age deer on the hoof, taking these bucks can help better the quality of bucks in that herd.
Legally, you cannot harvest a spike buck unless their main beams are 10" or greater and you hunt North of I10. South of I10, there is no allowance for 10" spike bucks....they have to have a fork. You CAN take a spike with short spikes (<5") during the antlerless seasons, or if you have antlerless tags. Antlerless tags are generally only given to private landowners that have 600+ contiguous acres in a block. Most hunt clubs have antlerless tags.
DMU-D1 (South of I10)
All antlered deer must have at least 2 points (1 inch or more in length) on one side to be legal to take. Hunters 16 years of age and older may not take during any season or by any method an antlered deer that does not have an antler with at least 2 points. However, youth 15-years-old and younger may take any antlered deer with at least one antler 5 or more inches in length.
Antlerless deer are deer that do not have antlers or have antlers less than 5 inches in length. It is illegal to take spotted fawns.
Antlerless deer season on private lands only is Nov. 26-27 and Dec. 31 - Jan. 1. DMU-D2 (North of I10)
All antlered deer must have at least 3 points (1 inch or more in length) on one side OR have a main beam length of 10 inches or more to be legal to take. Hunters 16 years of age and older may not take during any season or by any method an antlered deer that does not have an antler with at least 3 points or a main beam length of at least 10 inches. However, youth 15-years-old and younger may take any antlered deer with at least one antler 5 or more inches in length.
Antlerless deer are deer that do not have antlers or have antlers less than 5 inches in length. It is illegal to take spotted fawns.
Antlerless deer season on private lands only is Nov. 26-27, Dec. 3-4 (during muzzleloading gun season), Dec. 17-18 and Dec. 31 - Jan. 1.
Short answer: No. Don't ever shoot spikes if you are managing your herd for better bucks. Shoot deer based on age, not on their headgear.
Most Florida deer are going to be spikes at 1.5 y/o, especially South of I10 due to the poor soil quality. The longer spikes (the 10" or longer ones) are usually the earlier born 1.5 y/o bucks in the area or the ones with better genes. This is where Florida is really screwing up by allowing these to be harvested...they are allowing the best of the 1.5 y/o class of bucks to be taken.
When most people talk about cowhorns, they are talking about 1.5 y/o spike bucks that just have really long spikes....but true cowhorns are older bucks. They are 3.5 or 4.5 y/o bucks that have been given some time to express their genetic antler potential, but never really amount to anything. Usually, they will have some points on one side and a single horn on the other. If you can age deer on the hoof, taking these bucks can help better the quality of bucks in that herd.
Legally, you cannot harvest a spike buck unless their main beams are 10" or greater and you hunt North of I10. South of I10, there is no allowance for 10" spike bucks....they have to have a fork. You CAN take a spike with short spikes (<5") during the antlerless seasons, or if you have antlerless tags. Antlerless tags are generally only given to private landowners that have 600+ contiguous acres in a block. Most hunt clubs have antlerless tags.
Knowledge right here. I've said so many time that Florida is thinning out the best potential buck by allowing yearling bucks with 10" antlers (or 3 points on one side) to be harvested while giving a pass to the shorter spikes.
There has been a LOT of research done on the antler potential of a deer based on their first set of antlers. The truth is that forked yearlings (not just forks like we refer to, but anything with a branched main beam) have greater potential than a spike yearling. However, there are plenty of cases where a spike yearling turned into an excellent deer at 4.5+ years old. I just read a 180+ page report on this a couple weeks ago. I'll see if I can find it and post a link to the report. Very interesting stuff with many years of observation.
I guess the long and short of it is this -
• A spike doesn't necessarily mean he'll never amount to anything. So don't use that excuse to shoot one.
• Just because he's legal (10" beam or 3 points on one side) doesn't mean he's the right deer to shoot if you ever want to harvest good bucks.
• Shoot deer based on age class, NOT antler size.
Alright good info here and that's why I turn to pff. I am north of I10 and do have anterless tags. But, if this spike was over 5" and main beam was less than 10" I understand it's still not legal to harvest. I did not shoot it because I felt it was just a young buck and wasn't sure if it was legal to harvest. I'm hoping he gets an opportunity to grow up and mature.
There is a LOT of controversy and differing of opinions by biologists on this subject.
My assessment is this: If you find a deer that appears to have shorter legs, big body, shorter neck, etc. then you are most likely looking at a mature deer.
I once shot a deer fitting the above description,late in the afternoon thinking it was a nice big doe. When I got to it, I found spikes barely above the hairline pointed to the rear.
I felt like it was bad genetics, and I was okay with it.
poor soil my eye. look at that buck that washed up on the beach(south of hwy 98). but seriously, a biologist told my buddy just don't shoot the bigger older does because they almost always have two fawns and one is guaranteed to be a buck so now you have more bucks to cull. that is unless you need the meat.