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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Aragorn243: [QB] bdgee, You really want to press this issue? The research has been done, by many individuals. Whitetail antlers are one of the most studied animal atributes on the North American continent. As I subscribe to the Pennsyvania Game News which publishes the results of Gary Alt's work with the PA deer herd and as I have been discussing PA's deer, not deer nationally, he is the foremost authority on whitetails and their antlers in the state. I also subscribe to Deer and Deer Hunting magazine which is one of the foremost deer magazines in the nation. No research I have ever seen here in PA or outside of PA on the national level supports your position that most spike bucks are old or sick. I don't like the result because it is inaccurate and not supported. Here is a brief comment on deer antler developement from http://pabucks.com/deerantlers.html#A Age can also effect a buck’s antlers. Whitetailed deer do not achieve maturity until they are 5 to 8 years of age. Studies have demonstrated the average buck achieves only about 10 percent of his potential antler development by age 1.5 years (when he completes his first set of antlers as an 18-month-old buck). It has also been able to demonstrate that there is little relationship between the first year antlers and the antler development a buck will have when he reaches the mature age classes of 5 years or older. This means a spike-antlered buck has a good chance of becoming a trophy-quality adult buck. By the time a buck has completed his second set of antlers he still only has achieved only 25-35 percent of his potential antler development. At 3 years of age (few bucks live longer than this in Pennsylvania because of the amount of hunters that hunt in this state). A buck still only has achieved about 50 percent of his potential antler quality. It is not until 5 years of age that most bucks approach their full antler potential, and often, antlers don’t reach their maximum size until 7 or 8 years of age (for captive deer raised under ideal conditions). Probably less than 1 out 5,000 bucks would survive to the 6-year-old age class with the hunters that hunt in Pennsylvania. It is no wonder we don’t see the quality of bucks that existed when my grandfather hunted the exact same woods, when hunting pressure was very low compared to today. Two other factors that effect a buck’s antler development are injury and disease. NOTE: Even under ideal conditions, captive deer produce their maximum sized antlers at age 7-8. From: http://www.forestry.state.al.us/publication/TF_publications/tfspring99/deer_antler_development.htm Producing better antlers goes beyond good habitat management. Proper harvest management is also a necessity. To ensure an abundance of high quality food, herd size must be kept within carrying capacity of the land. This often requires harvest of antlerless deer. Another prerequisite for large antlers is age. Body requirements use most of the nutrients taken in during the first couple of years of a deer's life and antler growth is restricted. Allowing young bucks to make it to the older age classes will greatly enhance their chances of growing a large rack. NOTE: Body requirements during the first couple of years use most of the nutrients and resrict antler growth. From: http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/wildlife/PUBL/wlnotebook/Antlers.htm Antler growth is closely linked to nutrition. When a young buck reaches 10 months of age, its first set of antlers begins to grow. Yearling bucks usually carry spikes. These are antlers with a single bone having no branching pattern. These first year antlers are small because the young buck’s body is still growing rapidly and its nutrition is directed more toward muscle and skeletal growth than to antler growth. Older bucks may also carry spikes if they come from an area with poor food conditions. Bucks in high quality habitats tend to grow much larger antlers. While genetics has an influence on antler growth and size, nutrition by far has the greatest impact. Note: Yearling deer generally carry spikes. Older deer MAY carry spikes if coming from areas with poor food. I could go all day with links to deer antlers. All my points concerning PA deer are valid. No research says most spikes are the old and sick. On the contrary, it says young deer produce smaller antlers and most are spikes. [/QB][/QUOTE]
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