# Deer maturity



## USSapper (Sep 26, 2005)

I have a few questions about whitetail bucks maturity progress from year to year that hopefully someone can give some input on

First off, when do you think a deer shows the greatest difference in the maturity of their antlers. Ex) between the ages of 2.5 to 3.5 or 3.5 to 4.5 years old.

Also, bowhunting the past 4 seasons i have seen every kind of buck out there- age wise-or size wise from spikes to forks,3x3s small 4x4s bigger 4x4s and the mature 5x5. A spike and fork are usually 1.5 years old right? What are they going to look like a year later? Will the spike grow differently than the fork. I have always wanted to see different photos of deer progressing in age fro year to year.

Lastly, how do you know whether or not a deer has reached his maximum potential-maybe you cant until he's dead :-?

Just wondering what some of your guys' opinions are of this compared to mine


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

I read a recent study that stated that you cannot judge an animals potential until at least two and a half years. Mean9ing that the spike might actually get bigger than the fork. After that age you can consider them to be management bucks and decide if you like the antlers or not.
Also, I believe it said that body size and weight are the best way to judge an animals age on the hoof. It is really the only way to judge if the deer is past their prime.


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## bretts (Feb 24, 2004)

Also, I read that by the time a buck is 3 1/2 that 75% (somewhere in that ballpark) of whitetail bucks will show there true frame ...4x4, 5x5 etc, but without proper nutrition you would be surprised what a bucks rack does. I found a 5 point shed and 3 years later my brother got the buck and it really wasn't a whole lot bigger. Look for the sway in their back, big chest and also their snout


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## Jungda99 (Nov 17, 2006)

From what I have read/observed is Typically a fork or a spike won't amount to much, 6 point at most so shoot them. The ones you want to let walk are the young basket rack 6s and 8s. They overtime should gain mass and width and height. Typically the biggest difference that occurs between 3.5 and 4.5 is MASS and some height/width but not a huge difference in those. I judge my deer by length of nose and body size and the way they walk. An older deer will seem to walk a bit more gingerly and kind of "woddle" a bit. Hope this helps if you want more explanation let me know. Thanks


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

> From what I have read/observed is Typically a fork or a spike won't amount to much, 6 point at most so shoot them.


The study that I read said the opposite. That you cannot judge a spike or fork in their first year!! I am by no means and expert but they actually showed the progression of certain deer and those that started out very small eventually caught up with their peers with the proper nutrition.


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## Jungda99 (Nov 17, 2006)

djleye said:


> > From what I have read/observed is Typically a fork or a spike won't amount to much, 6 point at most so shoot them.
> 
> 
> The study that I read said the opposite. That you cannot judge a spike or fork in their first year!! I am by no means and expert but they actually showed the progression of certain deer and those that started out very small eventually caught up with their peers with the proper nutrition.


That could very well be true. But...if the proper nutrition was available they would already be bigger than a fork. What in their nutrition would change that much from year to year unless it was a terrible winter or a drought. I am not arguing with you but these are just my thoughts. Your thoughts could be just as accurate as mine. my 2 cents


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## Sasha and Abby (May 11, 2004)

That is where you are absolutely wrong. The spike could have been born later in the season, and subsequently may have had less time for antler development.

If you don't believe that, then answer me this: how many 5 year old spikes have your ever seen??? I thought so. How many 200lb spikes have you seen??? Pretty rare aren't they...

If you let them go, they will grow.


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## joebobhunter4 (Jul 19, 2005)

Sasha and Abby said:


> That is where you are absolutely wrong. The spike could have been born later in the season, and subsequently may have had less time for antler development.
> 
> If you don't believe that, then answer me this: how many 5 year old spikes have your ever seen??? I thought so. How many 200lb spikes have you seen??? Pretty rare aren't they...
> 
> If you let them go, they will grow.


good post... im thinkin the same thing as you...


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## Jungda99 (Nov 17, 2006)

I guess our definitions of "nice bucks" are different. For me a spike or fork will not turn into a what I would consider a "nice buck" It would become a "Nice eater". I am not by any means saying a spike stays a spike or a fork stays a fork. They would typically turn into a basket 5,6,7,or 8 point.

There are too many variables to be arguing over something like this. It all depends on your area, genetics, and selective hunters.


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## headhunter (Oct 10, 2002)

USSsapper, For your first question, I believe the biggest jump is between the age of 2.5 and 3.5. , that is where they go from young adult to "mature".... Most 2 year olds in my neck of the woods are generally 15 or so inches , outside spread, and can score anywhere from 100 inches to 130. Case in point, I killed a 128 5/8 " gross with my bow this year that was, you guessed it 2.5 years old, he was a 5x5. I believe this buck had all the genetics it needed to be over 140 inches next year had I not shot him and took him out of the gene pool. (ouch) Oh well.......

Spikes can be 150 inch deer no problem if they can get to 4.5 years old without being shot.....spikes are not inferior, and try as some "game farms" might culling 4x4 and spikes will NOT improve genetics on your ranch......the gene pool is so deep in native deer herds taking a few 4x4's out of your herd does nothing.....nothing. Besides, the DOE has just as much to do with her offsprings headgear as the daddy....so these idiots that "cull" deer in Texas are just doing it to make themselves feel better. James C Kroll I think has just finished a multi year study completely making the "cull the spikes and 4x4" arguement a joke. I think it was a 3 part series in North American Whitetail.

Well like you said, knowing the genetic potential is hard unless they are dead....in my country NO bucks reach their genetic potential as that doesn't happen till they are 5.5 years old.....and we basically have no or hardly any bucks 5.5 or older....they say about 6 years is when he'll be as good as he'll get.


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## Jungda99 (Nov 17, 2006)

Sasha and Abby said:


> That is where you are absolutely wrong. The spike could have been born later in the season, and subsequently may have had less time for antler development.
> 
> If you don't believe that, then answer me this: how many 5 year old spikes have your ever seen??? I thought so. How many 200lb spikes have you seen??? Pretty rare aren't they...
> 
> If you let them go, they will grow.


I don't shoot fawns!! if it has had that little time for antler growth it obviously hasn't had enough time to put some meat on its bones.


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## USSapper (Sep 26, 2005)

When a buck is a years and a half old, isnt it usually a fork, spike or 3x3? I guess that is what i have always thought but this year have rreally gotten interested in the growth of a deer. Were i am hunting right now there are all types of bucks like i said. I guess i could be wrong about the smaller 4x4s-they may only be a year and a half old-i guess you guys are saying this is possible-the deer growing straight to a 4x4


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## Jungda99 (Nov 17, 2006)

USSapper said:


> When a buck is a years and a half old, isnt it usually a fork, spike or 3x3? I guess that is what i have always thought but this year have rreally gotten interested in the growth of a deer. Were i am hunting right now there are all types of bucks like i said. I guess i could be wrong about the smaller 4x4s-they may only be a year and a half old-i guess you guys are saying this is possible-the deer growing straight to a 4x4


The area that we hunt I have not seen many spikes or forks. Most of ours are 6s or 8s at 1.5-2.5yrs old. Then a 2.5-3.5 we have mostly 8s and 10s. At 3.5-4.5 we have only seen 10s but they get tall,wide, and massive. We kind of lucked out and found and area that has good genetics and very good QM. 3 of us started hunting this land 5 yrs ago and have taken 173,165,149,170,155,(all with rifle)and a 135 with a bow. We shoot does and scrub bucks also. So for us a spike or a fork won't reach the potential that we are looking for so depending on the timing of the season... we shoot them.


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