[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/spike-buck-to-booner-the-magic-of-age\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/spike-buck-to-booner-the-magic-of-age\/","headline":"Spike Buck to Booner: The Magic of Age","name":"Spike Buck to Booner: The Magic of Age","description":"Witness the incredible transformation of a whitetail\u2019s antlers from unimpressive spike buck to majestic Booner to old age over a period of 12 years.","datePublished":"2017-11-02","dateModified":"2019-01-25","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/#Person","name":"Hector Agosto","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Legendary Whitetails","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","url":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","width":522,"height":226}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/SpikeBooner_cover-1.jpg","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/SpikeBooner_cover-1.jpg","height":600,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/spike-buck-to-booner-the-magic-of-age\/","about":["News"],"wordCount":2007,"keywords":["Land & Habitat","News"],"articleBody":"This series of photos documents the life of a particular whitetail buck I photographed over a 12 year period.\u00a0 The buck lived on an incredible piece of property in the Northeast that was off limits to hunting.\u00a0 Aside from protection from hunters, he had a normal life, complete with challenges from Mother Nature.\u00a0 His home range featured a substantial predator population and received significant snowfall during the harsh winter months.I\u2019ve been able to imprint many whitetails on the sound of corn rattling in a plastic can.\u00a0 This particular buck was one such animal.\u00a0 Unlike many of the deer on this particular property, the buck had a gentle disposition and never exhibited any aggressiveness toward me, even during the full-blown rut.\u00a0 Consequently, I was able to follow him and document his comings and goings throughout the twelve years he lived.Interestingly, this buck was only a 3-inch spike as a yearling.\u00a0 His largest set of antlers was grown in his 6th year and measured 169 7\/8\u201d Boone and Crockett.\u00a0 Once the buck reached 4 years of age, he began casting his antlers on nearly the same day each year.amzn_assoc_placement = \"adunit0\";amzn_assoc_search_bar = \"true\";amzn_assoc_tracking_id = \"livinglegen05-20\";amzn_assoc_ad_mode = \"manual\";amzn_assoc_ad_type = \"smart\";amzn_assoc_marketplace = \"amazon\";amzn_assoc_region = \"US\";amzn_assoc_title = \"Deer Hunting Essentials\";amzn_assoc_linkid = \"ae7c57fdf6064a88ed3611cb5c96359a\";amzn_assoc_asins = \"B000G78P5E,B0761QGCDQ,B01NAGLAMJ,B000051ZOA\";Year 1Unimpressive YearlingBuck at 1 1\/2 years old–SpikeIn the area the buck lived there was a number of 2 and 3-year-old bucks and a few 4-year-olds.\u00a0 He exhibited typical yearling buck behavior when he grew his first set of antlers, in that he shied away from older bucks when encounters took place in prime feeding areas.\u00a0 Throughout summer and early fall, he tended to bed with does, one of which appeared to be his mother.Once he peeled velvet he began working licking branches made by other bucks but seldom pawed the ground beneath the branch.\u00a0 His rubbing behavior was sporadic throughout the autumn months.\u00a0 Most of his rubbing behavior occurred on brush and saplings less than an inch in size.When November\u2019s rut rolled around he often challenged the does he encountered.\u00a0 He also took part in breeding parties with other immature bucks.\u00a0 This behavior amounted to approaching the bedded estrous doe and dominant breeding buck, hoping to tease the buck into chasing him.\u00a0 I never once saw him do any breeding.Year 2Still UnimpressiveBuck at 2 1\/2 years old–85 B&CWhen this buck turned two his antlers were a far cry from what they would be at age six.\u00a0 He grew into an eight-pointer that appeared to score around 85 Boone and Crockett.\u00a0 Although his antlers were smaller than most 2 \u00bd-year-old bucks his behavior was quite typical of bucks this age.By the time this buck hit two years of age it seldom bedded with does, preferring to be a part of a bachelor group made up of two yearling bucks and one 4-year-old buck.\u00a0 When I encountered the group in feeding areas at the end of the day it was not uncommon to see this buck and the dominant 4-year-old grooming.Once he peeled velvet the last day of August he began exhibiting scraping behavior by working licking branches and rubbing on saplings. \u00a0His bachelor group remained intact until the first week in October.\u00a0 From this point through the end of the rut\u2019s breeding phase he attempted to engage does but in most cases always backed down to older bucks.\u00a0 Though I never saw him aggressively fighting there were a few occasions I saw him sparring with other bucks his age.Year 3Beginning to Show PotentialBuck at 3 1\/2 years old–122 B&CAge wise it\u2019s my opinion that 3 year old bucks are similar to 18-year-old high school seniors.\u00a0 They think they are bulletproof and ready to engage in the rut.\u00a0 I\u2019ve long felt that in hunted areas this age class drives the rut.\u00a0 This buck fit that description to a \u201cT\u201d.\u00a0 His antlers scored around 122 B&C and his skeletal frame was now done forming.\u00a0 Muscle mass would continue to grow as he aged.\u00a0 Still a member of a bachelor group, he was the dominant buck in the group.Once he peeled velvet the first week in September he immediately began showing dominance toward any buck 3 years old and younger.\u00a0 His scraping and rubbing behavior were significantly more than when he was 2 \u00bd years old. When the rut kicked in during early November he turned into a rutting machine, harassing every doe he encountered.\u00a0 No longer did he back down to any 3 and 4-year-old buck who crossed his path.\u00a0 Though he shied away from engaging the two bucks in his range that appeared to be 5-year-old\u2019s, I saw him breed three different does, each time driving off younger bucks.Year 4Exploding Antler GrowthBuck at 4 1\/2 years old–164 B&CBetween age three and four the buck\u2019s antler growth went from 122\u201d B&C to slightly more than 164\u201d B&C.\u00a0 He was now a typical 5X6.\u00a0 This was one of the greatest increases in antler growth I\u2019ve witnessed in 40 years of photographing whitetails.\u00a0 He was now a \u201cstud\u201d at age 4 \u00bd.\u00a0 Everything about him resembled what a true mature buck should look and act like.\u00a0 Younger bucks went out of their way to avoid him during the rut.\u00a0 By way of example, one day in early November I witnessed him make six scrapes in a little over an hour.\u00a0 Though he never hesitated to rub on cigar size saplings, I photographed him rubbing on trees over six inches in diameter multiple times.\u00a0 Typical of a buck his age, he was more nocturnal than when he was younger.Years 5 & 6Nothing Short of ImpressiveBuck at 5 1\/2 years old–165 B&C Buck at 6 1\/2 years old–169 7\/8″ B&C (his largest antlers)By the time he reached age five he had become king of the woods.\u00a0 His antlers at age 5 sported a typical 4X5 frame that scored 165 Boone and Crockett.\u00a0 His rutting behavior was very similar to when he was 4 \u00bd, though now he was a bit more nocturnal.When he turned 6 he grew his largest set of antlers.\u00a0 As a typical 4X5, he topped out at 169 7\/8\u201d. \u00a0\u00a0During these two years, he intimidated every buck he encountered.\u00a0 That\u2019s not to say he didn\u2019t get into fights with other bucks, because he did.\u00a0 From the interaction he had with those bucks it was clear he had won all of them.Years 7 & 8Beginning to lose his Edge Buck at 7 1\/2 years old–166 B&CBuck at 8 1\/2 years old–160 B&CDuring October of his seventh year, this buck got in a fight with a big ten point and lost.\u00a0 Though his 4X5, 166\u201d antlers were impressive, he no longer intimidated other mature bucks in his area.\u00a0 Throughout the autumn of year seven and eight, he continued to be a scraping and rubbing machine.\u00a0 He also continued to show dominance to younger bucks, but whenever he encountered a buck of similar size he backed down.\u00a0 By the time he reached eight years of age he was very nocturnal.Years 9 & 10Beginning of the EndBuck at 9 1\/2 years old–160 B&C Buck at 10 1\/2 years old–156 B&CBy the time this monarch turned nine it was evident he had put a lot of mileage on his body.\u00a0 Though still an impressive 160\u201d 5X5 his fur showed the scars from years of fighting and his belly was beginning to sway.\u00a0 He continued to make scrapes and rubs and every now and then would attempt to show his dominance to other mature bucks.\u00a0 Each time I saw this behavior he always backed down at the last minute.At age ten he sported 156\u201d 4X4 antlers.\u00a0 As impressive as his eight-point rack was, his body and behavior smacked of being old. \u00a0He kept to himself and shied away from bucks half his age.\u00a0 Scraping and rubbing were still part of his autumn behavior, but a fraction of what it was at age 4, 5 and 6.\u00a0 Also, chasing does in November was something I seldom saw him do.\u00a0 His urge to breed seemed to have shut down when he was ten.Years 11 & 12Sundown for a MonarchBuck at 11 1\/2 years old–143 B&C Buck at 12 1\/2 years old–105 B&CBy the time this great buck turned eleven it was clear his days were numbered.\u00a0 Even though he was a 143\u201d 4X4 (with two stickers) his body and facial features showed he was nearing the end of his life. \u00a0Throughout his eleventh year, he was very nocturnal, with rubbing and scraping behavior nearly non-existent.\u00a0 No longer did he seem to have an interest in does and pretty much kept to himself.By the summer of his twelfth year, I wasn\u2019t sure he would make it through the autumn months.\u00a0 I was right.\u00a0 When September rolled around and he peeled velvet his spindly nine-point rack scored 105\u201d.\u00a0 His ribs showed and he now had a slight limp.\u00a0 It was in late November that I located his carcass in a stand of mixed hardwoods and hemlock trees.\u00a0 He had died of old age, something very rare in the whitetail\u2019s world. "},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Legendary Whitetail's Blog"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/spike-buck-to-booner-the-magic-of-age\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Spike Buck to Booner: 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