Is there such a thing as too many bucks, especially spikes?
QUESTION: I have 480 acres, and we only shoot mature bucks at least 3 1/2 years old. I don’t set a point rule because I think you should age a deer by the body size, not the antlers.
I have noticed that during the current deer season, we are seeing more than the normal numbers of young spike bucks. We see more spike bucks than does and fawns. My cameras tell the same story: spike bucks or mature bucks … not much in between. Am I managing my property wrong? Would you say we need to take some of these smaller bucks out or hope they stay on the property? –Ted
ANSWER: To answer your first question, you should look at your objectives and determine if what you’re doing is getting you where you want to be. I’ve hunted the same property in central Alabama for 16 years. This year, deer sightings were at an all-time low, but trail cameras told a different story.
As your observations seem to match what the cameras see, it’s probably a more accurate indication of what’s going on. If your goal is having mature bucks on the property and your cameras show that you do, it would seem you’re meeting that objective; just not the one where you get to see and kill them.
The abundance of spikes, most likely yearlings, could simply indicate a strong year class. Perhaps there was a mild winter, abundant nutrition and lower than normal predation rates, or enough young deer present to “swamp” the predators so more deer survived.
There’s several ways to look at your second question. First, you can’t stockpile bucks. No matter how many you start with, the population will eventually level itself. As bucks grow older and interspecific aggression increases, there will be higher natural mortality on older bucks if there are too many present. Meanwhile, yearling dispersal will prompt many of the younger bucks to strike out and find new home ranges.
As a side note, it’s also possible that your habitat management is drawing in more dispersing yearlings from other areas.
Short answer: I wouldn’t be too concerned about what you observe during one season. If the trend continues, you may want to take a closer look and modify your management. And you needn’t be too concerned about removing a few yearlings, especially if you have young or new hunters involved.
— Recent Ask the Biologist Question: Time To Make Another Set: It seems a shame that big bucks drop their antlers, but it’s part of the natural cycle. Find Out The Answer!