To determine the primary cause of SOOS antlers, I needed samples. Dirty Sheds and Skull Soupįor my study, I defined spike-on-one-side (SOOS) bucks as any buck having either:ġ) a side-to-side difference in gross Boone & Crockett score of greater than 50 percent, orĢ) a side-to-side difference of more than two typical antler points. I decided to look into this phenomenon while pursuing a doctorate in wildlife sciences at Auburn University. Nevertheless, “spike-on-one-side” bucks are hotly debated, with many hunters insisting this characteristic is gene-based and advocating the shooting of these bucks for gene-pool improvement.
#Spike deer code
There is not a “left antler” genetic code and a separate “right antler” genetic code, which is why the vast majority of whitetail bucks display left and right antlers of roughly equal shape and dimensions. Instead, I’ll focus on the first question, which was the subject of my recent research.Īnybody who has taken part in deer camp conversation knows that many hunters blame a buck’s odd-looking antlers on “inferior genetics.” It is crazy how this thinking has spread despite a lack of published research to support these claims after all, I don’t think many hunters would deny that both sides of a buck’s antlers are determined by the same genetic code.
This raises two questions: 1) Do abnormal antlers result from genetics? and 2) Can hunters influence the genetic composition of a free-ranging deer herd through selective harvest? The answer to the second question is already emerging through research: It is difficult or impossible for hunters to influence genetics in free-ranging deer. In one sense of the term, deer with abnormal antlers are identified by hunters as genetic misfits and targeted for harvest. The term “cull bucks” can take on many different meanings. Hopefully I can present some information that, combined with other research on this topic, will help lay to rest the myth of “genetic cull bucks.”
While ethics play a major role in other debates, the dispute over cull bucks boils down to science – something that should not be debatable. Among hunters, few topics stir discussion like hunting over bait or hunting deer with dogs – but the dispute over “cull bucks” comes close.
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