We have certainly seen some odd things herd-wise this year. But I won't know if it was just a "weird" year or we're seeing some new trend until I see what happens next year. Maybe this year was just a fluke.
We are also noticing a crazy amount of spikes as well. Seems like way more then normal. We probably have 10 to 12 different spikes right now.
Same here. EVERY time I went in the woods, I saw atleast 1 spike. At first, I was excited to see a lonesome doe, but as time went on, 95% of those encounters turned out to be spikes. It may have to do with the very poor nutrition from last year (ZERO acorns) - they were really stressed last year and I think this a ripple effect from that. Hopefully it will just be a one-generational thing. Theoretically, I would think next year's yearlings, we will see a much higher jump in antler size for their age class - due to the biggest acorn crop I can ever remember.
In the areas hit hardest by the 2022 drought, I'm seeing a very high spike incidence this year. But that makes perfect sense, as these yearlings this year were fawns last year, and suffered the consequences of the very poor food sources in summer, fall, and winter 2022/23. These fawns becoming yearlings simply didn't enough resources left over after body growth requirements to grow anything beyond spikes this last summer. On properties that normally average 40-50% of yearlings being spikes, I've seen it as high as 80% spikes this year.
We are definitely in that 80 percentile.
Nope. Pretty dadgum wary where I've been hunting. Unfortunately.
Hale no.
Acorns are both a blessing (herd health-wise) and a curse (food is everywhere, even back in the thick stuff), and deer don't have to move far, if at all, to feed.
That's us. Across the board antler are average but mature deer are down for us we don't have near the shooters we usually carry. That's somewhat normal for us on high mass crop years.
The same, but I think there's more to it than that. Topic for another thread...
^^^Same....but turned out to be pleased with antler growth across age classes....we do have a few spikes and several button heads just busting through the skin...but nothing abnormal verses previous years....really pleased with the number of younger 8pt and 9pt bucks we've seen...and two smaller 10pt we really hope make it.
Not on my place. They are very skittish, but that has pretty much always been the norm.
