12/11/2023 0 Comments Spike deer in txTo reduce inconvenience, costs and potential danger, AAA Texas cautions drivers to be especially vigilant on the road in animal-prone areas in the months ahead. Photo #3 of Car Damaged by Deer Collision (Click link to view and download)Īccording to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Texas had the highest number of deaths from collisions with animals over a ten-year period (2009-2018). Photo #2 of Car Damaged by Deer Collision (Click link to view and download) Photo #1 of Car Damaged by Deer Collision (Click link to view and download) Interview with Driver Involved in Recent Collision with Deer (Click link to download)ī-Roll Video (Click link to view and download) A collision with deer or other animals can put a serious dent in your vehicle, if not destroy it completely, and could result in serious injuries or fatalities. Deer collisions become more common this time of year since peak breeding season takes place in November. The actual 24-inch length (totaling 48 2/8) of each beam currently has Wyrick in the lead in three different deer contest’s “Longest Spike” competition.Fewer daylight hours and a spike in deer activity during the fall months increase the chances of roadway crashes with the animals. From the trail camera photos, Wyrick thought the antlers would be about 18 inches long. “He grew before I got to him!” Wyrick said, as he recalled the excitement after finally shooting the mysterious spike. As soon as he lined up the shot, the spike leapt into view and Wyrick squeezed the trigger. Anticipating the buck would follow, Wyrick grabbed his gun out of the truck and aimed for the open space. Wyrick watched as the female moved from the cover of one thicket to another. “Oh man, that’s him!” Garrett said and the two leapt out of the car.īy this time, the spike had bounded up a nearby hillside following his fleeing female companion. “Is that him?” Wyrick asked and Garrett quickly pulled out his binoculars to confirm. As he pulled the truck around corner and into full view of the feeder, Wyrick spotted two deer - one female and one male with an unusual antler formation. On December 12, the two drove out to the feeder in the middle of the day to check the cameras for the deer’s latest night movements. Regular trips to check the trail cameras plus the ongoing rut was the spike’s undoing. At one point, trail camera photos showed the spike switched from his regular feeder, throwing off the hunters even more. The two friends made trips to the lease whenever they could, but the old deer remained elusive. The game camera regularly snapped pictures of him near a particular feeder but only long after dark - never when Wyrick and Garrett were sitting in the blind. For one thing, the buck seemed to be completely nocturnal. Needless to say, Wyrick knows a good deer when he sees one. Wyrick has “been hunting since he could walk” and, when he isn’t hunting recreationally with buddy Cody Garrett and loyal dog, Newt, he is either studying wildlife at Texas A&M University-Kingsville or working as a gunner for Southwest Texas Helicopters shooting pigs. “I was like, ‘Holy crap, I need to shoot that deer.’” “I knew I would never see another deer like that,” Wyrick said of the first time he saw the buck’s image captured on a game camera. All of this adds up to an once-in-a-lifetime kill. If the length and symmetry weren’t impressive enough, Wyrick estimated the deer to be about 8-1/2-years old. The antlers, each approximately 24 inches long, curve gracefully above the deer’s head to form a towering, smooth semicircle. In Val Verde County in early December, South Texas hunter Wes Wyrick shot the most unusual spike white-tailed deer he has ever seen. Written by Jillian Mock, Lone Star Outdoor News
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