24 replies to this topic

[Caneman]

Would you consider this a 1x1 or a legal 1x2?

[dabob]

Legal! That little fork is on the upper two thirds of the antler.

[Braz]

Yep, I agree. Got one very similar to it a few years ago.

[Jason]

It's legal although you may want to make sure it lets go of mamma's teat before you squeeze the trigger.

[Caneman]

LOL! I saw a youngster the other day and he had a tiny little fork on the top of one spike (somewhat like the sketch i have above), wasn't sure if he was legal or not...

[Mac1124]

Legal.I've been picking this youngster up on one of my cameras out in the field, maybe in a year or two.

[Jason]

Like eatin' veal!

[Thumper Dunker]

For some of us thats a real trophy. Its leagal. and should be good eating..

[Single Six]

Legal.I've been picking this youngster up on one of my cameras out in the field, maybe in a year or two.

Unless it gets eaten first.

[whatjeffhunts]

It may be legal but I would let it grow up a little more. There isnt going to be any 3x3 or 4x4 if everyone shoots those

[turkeyman85]

I dont think its legal, It might be on the upper two thirds but it looks like you cant hang a ring on it.

[howah]

That bambi is NOT legal.. If you go out and see any bambi like that one, let me know.

[Fjold]

Wipe the mlik off it's mouth before you take the trophy picture.

[daiwa]

I ran into a buck like that in D5 a few weeks ago but didn't shoot it. The 'forked' part was lower, about 4 inches below the top of the spike, and only protruded out about an 1/8 inch...but the buck was huge. Where did you find that picture at? I have heard of the wedding ring rule but wouldn't mind knowing what the dfg considers legal.

[Recon]

The worst thing about letting a baby like that grow another year for me is that I live very close to a major arterial roadway and more than 50% of the time I will see them laying dead beside it by Christmas. :-((

[1984cj7]

Heard a guy got a d12 buck with 3 on one side and a spike on the other, warden caught up with the guy and gave him a ticket and took his rifle, this is something I heard from other hunters out there opening weekend not sure if it's true...

[pthor]

Maybe he took the rifle for some other violation? He'd have some explaining to do otherwise ! The 3 on one side would make it more than legal...

[littlejoe]

You can hang a ring on it its legaland deliciousmuch better eating than a 4 yr oldHorns make crappy stew

[docskinner]

It may be legal but I would let it grow up a little more. There isnt going to be any 3x3 or 4x4 if everyone shoots those

This is actually one of the problems we face. While rack size is partly determined by age, it is also partly determined by genetics. So the more big rack bucks get killed, the fewer reproduce and make more big racks, while the bucks that have smaller racks slide for more years and produce more bucks with genetically smaller racks for their age.

[docskinner]

Similar - last deer I took in Idaho was an HUGE bodied but small 3-4 point rack (dressed out around 200#, but only a ~20" spread). At the ranger station they were saying how it was a pretty old buck (6-7 years), and that they were starting to see this a lot up there. That was back in 1999. (yeah - it has been a long time since I got to go out hunting!)Makes a hard situation to try and reverse, particularly with bucks like you were talking about that get older without getting legal. Hard to tell age from hunting range!

[Karl]

If this state wanted to manage deer they would have to have at least one season of does and spikes only.The ratio of does to bucks is over 9 to 1, it should be 6 to 4 or less. Or 55% does 45% bucks. Any spike should be harvested regardless of age. They are genetically inferior and should be culled.

[TonyS]

This state is long overdue for responsible management and that means doe hunting. I'm glad I muzzleload in an area that is either sex.

[Truckeedan]

If this state wanted to manage deer they would have to have at least one season of does and spikes only.The ratio of does to bucks is over 9 to 1, it should be 6 to 4 or less. Or 55% does 45% bucks. Any spike should be harvested regardless of age. They are genetically inferior and should be culled.

The first year I hunted deer was 1957. The last three days of the B tag season (the Sierra before X zones) does and fawns were legal. Hunters killed hundreds of does and some hunters would throw out a smaller one if they came across a bigger one. The waste was unbelievable and the deer heard in Modoc county took many years to recover. Not sure of the impact on other areas but I'm sure the problem was similar. The state never held another doe or either sex hunt in the general season from that season forward with the exception of a few special late season doe hunts. Counties have the right to veto proposed doe hunts and do so with regularity.

I agree that there should be doe hunts but killing spikes will reduce the buck to doe ration even farther. Minerals in the diet have as much to do with horn size as genetics. The deer herd is where brothers, sisters and cousins marry.

[Karl]

The mismanagement of the California deer herd has been going on a long time. It is unfortunate.
There are better ways.

Diet has everything to do with horn growth. Genetics determine what they will grow into. If you take a four and a half year old spike and feed him the best diet possible for one year, he will be a five and a half year old spike with maximum growth.
If you take a 5x5 and give him a poor diet he will still be a multi point buck, probably a 5x5.

I hunted FHL for fifteen years and I have seen spikes die of old age. Good years and bad they were always spikes.

[Cali wine&cheese]

nice pics.