Antlered Bucks Regressing Back to Spikes

November 6, 2008

Question: We are a family of deer hunters who have been deer (black tail) hunting the same area for about 30 years. In the past few years we have noticed that more and more bucks are spikes. Some of these deer are ones that wander into our camp every year, so we know that they are at least a few years old, but they are still spikes. Now this year the only bucks we saw were spikes, at least 15 or more.

So I guess my question is … can spikes breed spikes? I always thought first year bucks were spikes. And if this is the case, since they are not hunted, is the spike gene being passed down? We saw spike deer with 15 to 18 inch antlers and big bodies, not first year animals. With this happening will California ever have a spike hunt to stop the spread of this gene? I hope you will be able to answer this for us. Thank you. (Jennifer M.)

Answer: Most commonly spikes are either yearlings or bucks that have “outlived” their antlers and are regressing back to spike status. According to Deer Management Program Supervisor Craig Stowers, since antler growth is dependent on both genetics and habitat, some bucks may very well be passing that along-provided they could fight off the other bucks (or be sneaky enough) to breed the does.

Age classes of does in this state are not equal. We’ve been able to document that every 10 years of so we lose a bunch of does through old age and not much else. It may be that we lost one of those cohorts a year or so ago, which may account for the increase in spikes that you are seeing. Or, these deer could be in an area that is mineral deficient or not providing enough other nutrients to sustain antler growth. To be honest, it could be many different things.

Stowers added that he doubts very strongly if we will ever see an end to California’s spike law.