When hunting, you can often tell how old a male deer is by looking at the size and shape of its antlers. The older a deer is, the bigger and more twisted its antlers will be. But there is one type of deer that stands out from the others when it comes to antlers, and these are known as spiny males. But what is a Spike Buck and what makes it so unique? White-tailed deer tend to develop antlers, which are fairly balanced. That is, one side looks a lot like the other. Keep in mind, however, that no two woods are ever the same, although their similarities are sometimes striking from side to side or even male to male. The term “cob” refers to males (male deer) with antlers that do not branch. They are also called Spikehorn, Spike Bucks, Spiked Bucks, Spikes or Spiker. Bill Armstrong, in his article “Understanding Spike Buck Harvest,” defines “spike” as “a male deer 1.5 years of age or older whose antlers are unbranched.” Also, he mentions that “spike” does not refer to fawns with bumps on their heads.

A “spiked on one side” male is a term for males, especially older deer, who have “normal” antler growth on one side and a significantly reduced antler-like appearance on the other. Often, “normal” woods have 4, 5 points or even more. In general, the other woods looked very similar, but at some point something went wrong, which gave rise to the strange look. While many things can cause a large male to grow strange antlers, injuries are a common cause. While the solution probably won`t get rid of Spike Bucks completely, it`s a start to making the deer population healthier. John Ozoga has been D&DH`s Senior Research Associate for over 20 years. He is a retired deer research biologist. In addition, their antlers have not yet turned into solid wood.

It is not uncommon for spines to eventually become adult males with impressive antlers. They just need a little more time to grow and develop. Their antlers are too small and thin to do everything an adult male can do, such as fending off competition during mating season. The male may remain a tip until he reaches maturity at the age of four and a half, but this is unlikely. Head injuries can occur quite frequently and are largely the result of combative fights. Wounds in velvet can also lead to strange wooden shapes, including the greatly reduced appearance of spikes on the side. Even old gunshot wounds can affect the antlers. Strangely, injuries to a hind leg usually affect the development of antlers on the other side of the body. Thus, an injury to the right hind leg, even if it heals completely, can reduce the development of antlers on the left side.

The most common reason why a male fawn becomes a spiny male begins at birth – especially when the male fawn is born plays a big role. At that time, there was the story of an old woman: “Once a sting, always a sting.” Hunters are much better informed these days, but there are still some misconceptions about old thorns running through the forest. Some of this could come from inexperienced biologists and hunters who look into the mouth and see very worn premolars. However, in yearlings, the first three premolars (upper and lower) are very worn “baby teeth” that are replaced at the age of 2 years. When you look at these teeth, people think that the deer is very old. After cleaning the antlers and skull, the researchers estimated the age of the deer, recorded the number of typical antler dots per side, and classified the damage to the skull, stem or antlers. Hunters provided additional information about the date and location of harvest, as well as other visual signs of bodily trauma such as old gunshot wounds or fractures. Plays an important role in this regard and TP&W also advises in this area.

From what I have read, the managers who have followed their advice have seen an improvement in the performance of their land. Although scientific sources use the term “tip” in reference to males, many hunters do not consider spikes to be male. What for? Because people often believe that spikes have not yet reached adulthood, they cannot yet be called goats. Spikes are an excellent renewable resource. We use the term harvest to illustrate this for non-hunters. Since individuals die every year at a steady rate after birth, we lose money from all age groups every year. If we do not harvest the thorns because they are too small and wait until they are 5 years old, we waste this resource because most will die before reaching this age. Mother Nature kills most wild animals when they are young – this is the natural pattern of mortality in the wild. Throughout history, spines have purchased more habitat, paid more enforcement, funded more wildlife research, and provided more public recreation than any other representative of a wildlife species. He is the North American model child of wildlife conservation and should be on the cover of every hunting magazine.

It is important to mention that one-year-old males (those who are 1.5 years old) can have a spike appearance. They may have thorns on each side or a thorn on one side and forked wood on the other. For the most part, they simply haven`t reached their maturity potential yet. Breeding young males is the solution for these younger deer, especially if larger deer are desired. Many young spiny males can and will grow into large deer and even trophies if given enough time and proper nutrition. Based on previous observations, researchers Gabriel Karns and Steve Ditchkoff of Auburn University hypothesized that the pitting phenomenon on one side of the wood is due to damage to the peduncle of the skull and/or wood, not hereditary traits. Therefore, they question the merits or procedures associated with male slaughter strategies aimed at minimizing the occurrence of such anomalies. If you want to know more about this topic, I wrote a series of 4 articles on when to take (harvest) ear deer.” This study did not identify a probable cause of unilateral peaks in a large percentage of juveniles. For example, apart from three cases of wood breakage, they could not attribute a probable cause to other yearlings, nor explain such abnormal wood for more than half of the specimens aged 2 1⁄2 years.

If it is born later than the usual spring and summer birth season, it could become a spiny male the following year. Males born later usually have a slower development with their antlers, and so they have only one set with a dot. Even though spines have a slight genetic disadvantage in the antler growth department, it`s not something you will notice through a telescope or look. The foundation of our successful species protection system is thorny wood. Never let anyone ignore a little money you`ve raised and never apologize for a spike. When a spiny male and deer mate, they are much more likely to give birth to a spiny male. To prevent this, wildlife scientists began removing goats from the herd. They only allow fully consecrated men to mate.