So every one wants to talk about healthy but no one wants to talk about naturally occurring.Thats self serving and convenient!So if we are killing 75% plus of the antlered deer who are 1 1/2 years old whose interests are we serving? Certainly not the deer herd,our management has been to accomodate the hunter for years with no regard for the natural order of things.You can write 2 page threads and talk until you are blue in the face but no one can refute that we are no where close to the natural order of things.We have been all about maintaining an opportunity for most to shoot a buck any buck with no regard for the true nature of any animal population.So who is manipulating the population?The AR side or,I want to be sure I can shoot a buck side?
Are some arrogant enough to think that their way is better than the way things would naturally be? Without hunting wouldn't the mortality of doe's be equal to the mortality of bucks,factoring out the rigors of the rut and the naive nature of 1 1/2 year old bucks.Would mortality's emphasis be so skewed toward a particular age class?
The answer to all these things would be of course not!
We currently manage for hunters not for the herd.If you don't believe AR is a step closer instead of a step back,you are seeing what you want to see!
I for one am not afraid that I will not take "my buck".I have imposed antler restrictions upon myself for many years,because I am more interested in the way things naturally occur.If I eat a tag I eat a tag,I don't need to kill the most vulnerable age class of buck in the woods to keep my manhood in tact.