It’s time to cull the myth and not the spikes.
QUESTION: I’ve been trying to establish a new hunt club in middle Georgia, only 400 acres with six members. This is our third year upcoming and we’ve noted several bucks under the age of 2 1/2 to 3 that have one long spike and a button on the other side. We’ve had a lot of discussion on culling and gene pools, as well as waiting to see if they mature. In researching there are numerous conflicting theories. What are your thoughts?
ANSWER: I agree with them. There are several theories on the phenomenon of a spike on one side and while they differ, they don’t necessarily conflict as there are several possibilities for how and why this occurs.
The most comprehensive study was conducted by Gabe Karns from Auburn University. From a sample size of 71 Spike-on-One-Side (SOS) bucks, he was able to assign probable cause to 44, 34 of which were the result of pedicel or skull trauma (likely due to fighting).
Due to sample collection protocol, he couldn’t determine if other cases may have been the result of healed leg fractures, old gunshot wounds or other skeletal injuries, although previous research indicates that as a likely cause. Karns added that any damage to the pedicel, including antlers that failed to cleanly separate from the pedicels when shed, can negatively affect antler development.
He further noted that “It is well documented that antler deformities due to skeletal injuries progressively disappear with each subsequent antler growth cycle, meaning you can expect most SOS yearling bucks to develop normal antlers in another year or two.” He also suggested an increasing likelihood of injury with increasing buck age as a likely cause of SOS on older bucks.
Karns concluded by saying: “Let’s be clear about one thing: Harvesting SOS bucks does nothing to improve the genetic quality of a deer population. Hopefully, this research will hammer another nail in the coffin of the mythical genetic cull buck.”
I would add that, in most cases, the other side of an SOS bucks is usually typical. While it’s difficult to judge without pictures or direct observation, it seems much more likely that the deer you’re observing are yearlings for which a spike on one side and a button on the other is not all that uncommon.
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