Public land people often want more deer, and hunters reporting increased numbers of spikes enhances the perception of the hunting quality on that land. Still, private game managers want bigger deer. The penalties for shooting undersized deer are pretty severe, keeping responsible hunters from pulling the trigger too hastily, which is really the proper way to operate anyhow. State agencies around the nation and managers of private lands are increasingly tightening the rules on how big a buck must be for harvest. The number of places where this style of hunting exists is shrinking, though. Many shoot first and ask questions later - or ground check, as it’s known in many circles. And in fact, if that hunter spends precious seconds trying to determine the deer’s age, the experience will probably translate into a missed opportunity and unpunched tag. Someone hunting a property where visibility is measured in tens of yards, not hundreds, and may only see a couple deer a year is not likely to have this time. I’m sure it is easier for guys who hunt manicured food plots in wide open Illinois and Iowa, or Loaded With Bucks, Texas, to have the time and numerous opportunities to discern an older deer from a younger one.
Devil horn spike deer tv#
The trick is telling the difference between the two however, how can the average hunter correctly age these bucks? I get a kick out of some of these hunting TV shows or magazine articles that stiffly look down on hunters who shoot deer under the magical 5 ½ year old mark. If I had to lean to one side, I think many hunters shoot spikes under this latter category of thought. I’ve seen a couple legitimately ancient bucks with little spikes, and seen very young deer taken by hunters who rationalize that their horns will never get any better.
What do I think? I think there is probably a little of truth in all of these theories. Each argument can be backed by a large number of scientific or pseudo-scientific reports easily accessible on the Internet. Others characterize all spikes as being young (the devil horned deer) or all spikes as being old, having seen their better days antler-wise (the cowhorn). Some hunters believe every one of them should be removed to prevent the spread of genetic inferiority throughout the population.
Hunters as a group have difficulty coming to agreement on when or if they should be culled from the herd. Most people accept shooting does as a responsible practice, and hunters on trophy leases tend to agree on an 8pt minimum for bucks.īut spikes are different. Harvesting a spike buck remains one of the most controversial topics around campfire - and otherwise uncivil - deer management discussions.
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