I think what you are perceiving as a double standard is more of a reaction from those who are less selective being tired of being made out to be second class citizens, also even a genuine concern for the hunting heritage , as it was originally simply about the joy of hunting, being content with what the field, (without being groomed like a golf course with food plots, feeders, and supplements), yielded naturally, camaraderie, and a chance to escape the rat race in the beauty of the outdoors. Friendly competitions, such as here on HN ,and many of the 'Big Buck' contests, werea matter of recognizing size, weight,antler growth--without being artifically stimulated--taken during the due course of the hunting season, honoring the deer as much as the deer hunter. Everyone would eagerly wait to see what showed up around different parts of teh state.Theyhavebeen replaced with a totally different mindset. The deer are now farmed and land is now over managed into unhealthy ratios, and only will a certain antler size and age class be acceptable.It does not resemble what hunting always was about.If you still simply enjoy hunting and don't get all caught up in the hoopla, you are looked down on as some kind of unskilled and unpatriotic less than a hunter. I react to that mindset, not by throwing stones but by attempting to remind others what hunting has always been about and should still be about--even in context of those who choose to(and rightfully so), and have the time available and are so motivated to pursue only a certain size and age class buck. I like to call myself a purist, meaning I simply want to hunt without all of the new 'management'(not talking about the reasonable and sound QDM principles which are common sense) methods, and when I step into the woods,I want it to look like woods, with as little trace of man and his influence as possible, with the deer herd being as wild and dependent on natural forage as possible. I am lookingfor an older class buck, and take proportionate numbers of does without that buck having to meet someone else's standards. Points normally coincide with age classes, so I have a 6 point or better restriction, but there are even 4 points in my areas that are 3 1/2 years old. I took one that weighed 180, and was 3-4 1/2 years old a couple of year's ago. I think many wouldn't have done so because of his rack, but it isn't any less of an accomplishment to take a 12 point 3-4 1/2 year old than this buck--but it probably is less desirable for many. Granted I can take 2 in Ga, and I also hunt in SC, Al.( I got to SC{100 acres surrounded by dog hunters}once a year--opening weekend--Aug 15 -18th, hunt local in Ga{also 100 acres}, and go t to Al 2-3 times a year{250 acres})so it was an easier choice, since I have more tags than someone in Illinois for example. Plus , this deer was on land with about 8 deer per square mile, so I felt thatI had done well to even take any older class buck. Would I like for him to have been 'bigger'? Yes, but I hope that my choice reflects that I can keep perspective within the 'big picture'. Ithink that some who are so bent on trophy only--which in and of itself isn't a real problem--have lost sight of the 'big picture'--and that is a problem.