![]() However, hunters will mistake some antlerless or button bucks for does. In an antlerless deer harvest, hunters strive to shoot does. Honestly, no one really wants to shoot a button buck. When there is a high percentage of spikes in a deer herd, it usually indicates other issues besides genetics. Spike bucks are typically viewed as genetically inferior in trophy management. : a male deer typically in its second year with unbranched antlers on both sides. At what age do bucks get antlers?Īntler growth of male fawns, or “button bucks,” is generally noticeable at 4 to 5 months of age by the presence of “buttons.” At 1-1/2 years of age (yearlings), males grow their first noticeable antlers, which can range in size from spikes to 10 or more antler points. Antlers in the velvet stage are also susceptible to becoming damaged or deformed. … If a buck or bull has a damaged pedicle, the animal will likely have nontypical antlers every year. One of the most common causes of nontypical antlers happens when the buck or bull damages the pedicle or base where the antlers grow. Antler size is more a function of diet and heredity than it is of age. Despite the many stories hunters tell each other, the size of the antlers and the number of points on the antlers is not a reliable age guide. There is really no precise way to accurately do deer aging while hunting, other than looking at the teeth. Can you tell a deer’s age by the antlers? … The goal is to intercept the deer when it returns hours later from downwind. If they can’t pinpoint the threat, they’ll likely return sooner than if they saw or smelled you. Spooked deer will return to their bedding area, but when they return depends on how much the intrusion frightened them. Will a big buck return after being spooked? QDMA recommends seeking professional advice before implementing any antler restriction. In poor-quality habitats, however, antler points may be an effective selection criteria. Yearling bucks can produce 6, 8, or even 10 antler points (see above). A yearling, on the other hand, is a deer experiencing its second year of life and will be 12 to 24 months old. Come hunting season, the button buck will be four to eight months old. The button buck is born in late spring, summer, or early fall, depending on your location. Spikes are perfectly legal in most places and a legitimate trophy to take home for steaks, roasts, jerky and sausage. Cull bucks must be considered when a rancher or hunter is trying to determine which bucks to cull to improve the quality of the herd. What is considered a cull buck?īy proper definition, a cull is a buck that is to be considered inadequate or inferior. The high rainfall creates a domino effect of good habitat and nutrition, which will lead to buck growth and less population attrition. If you have an encouraging amount of rainfall, shooting spikes could be beneficial. You’re going to want the spikes to mature into older age classes to see what they become. As this photo essay shows, you never know what a whitetail buck’s antler potential will be until it reaches full maturity, which usually doesn’t occur until it is 6 to 7 years old. The vast majority (usually greater than 95 percent) of spike bucks are yearlings (1-year-old deer) and nearly all yearling spikes grow substantially larger antlers later in life. Given enough time, spikes will grow branched antlers, and after 4.5 years spikes can become decent bucks, but they will never be as big as a branch antlered yearlings if all else is equal.
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