I understand your point, buckhunter3, about shooting bigger deer that we want to see get bigger. I am by no means, an animal biologist, so I don`t have any fancy explanations as to why this is the way to go! One thing I do know is this...in areas where smaller bucks are allowed to walk, there are more big bucks than in areas that shoot the little ones. Texas is a great example of this practice. Heck, I hunt a farm in greene co., PA, where the land owner does not allow anything under a 140" buck to be taken, and there are some big, big bucks on his place. It will not take too much longer until one of the three people allowed to bowhunt it connect on a monster. And this farm is about 1000acres, surronded by either state game lands, or farms open to hunting. I can`t imagine what this area would be like if some of the other farms in the area practiced similar harvest requirements! Same thing on a farm we lease in illinois, no small bucks may be taken. The biggest problem we have there is keeping the landowner happy enough so that he does`nt go with the people who offer him more money than us for his ground! Huge bucks!