I really don't think the deer in PA would grow any bigger racks if they were anywhere else - particularly in the Ohio River watershed... Western Pennsylvania supports some of the most diverse and nutrient-rich whitetail habitat on the planet. I've got rolls and rolls of film of 2.5 year old bucks thatare absolutely gorgeous by anyone's standards - allbefore they've ever even celebrated their third birthdays...
The genetics of PA whitetails trace their lineage back to the early 1900's, when the deer population was abyssmally low, and whitetails were reintroduced in the form of "stocked" Canadian and midwestern whitetails. So, the genes of the deer we're shooting are probably a 99.999% match to those shot in Saskatchewan and/or Pike County. Most people wouldn't say that those deer come from "bad" bloodlines...
Our problem isn't genetics at all. It's hunting pressure. Our deer aren't growing big racks because we're killing them before they have a chance to.
You bring up a good point, yes, parts of Pennsylvania (especially where you and I are located) have great habitat for deer with ample amounts of nutrition for the deer. Honestly though, if the genetics are equal, and we have the amazing nutrition that these areas do, then that would mean it must be an "age" thing...but that wouldn't explain why an average Pennsylvania whitetail will generally score less than an average Canadian or Illinois/Kansas/Iowa whitetail of the same age. That makes me wonder just how much hunting pressure could affect antler development. I wonder if the stress of having 1 million plus hunters in the woods of a smaller state each year can have adverse effects on antler growth.
If a man takes up golf on Monday....is is good enough to mop tiger's ass on Friday......is he "Not experienced"?
No, that sounds more like luck to me than anything else.
Im not making light of anyone's accomplishments.......but Living where the big bucks roam might have had a little to do with that scenario, too. There are others that post book slammers up every year you didn't mention. Do they have "all the right stuff"? Or...is it just a few? I've seen Bozos on TV shoot slammer week in and week out. Are they doing this due to their
years of hard work and dedication".....or....are they going where the big boys are?
Okay, where to start with this one.
Not making light ofScott's accomplishments? You are implying that the reason he consistantly kills large bucks is simply because of location! How is that not down playing his accomplishments? Yes, Ohio is know to grow big bucks, but that doesn't mean that every patch of woods in Ohio has a few booners running around. Granted, Scott's property may hold more large racked bucks than other peoples properties, but that can't be cast off as just a "natural" thing. This is due to the fact that he practices management and he puts in hours of work afield each year to make it that way. Let a group of PA rifle hunters hunt that same property for a few years and guess what, it won't be producing the bucks that it does now. Why? Because they would be doing what they do on their property, shooting every and any buck that walks by and this will have an effect on the herd.
As far as location goes? Like I mentioned in my above posts, location has very little to do with the overall picture. ANY property across the nation could produce large bucks, it just takes time, patience, and dedication to get it to that point. Practicing QDMA and managing the habitat while waiting to shoot true mature bucks can take a piece of property from a field of spikes to a field of dreams. Proof is everywhere, look back through some of my game camera pictures over the past several years. I have photos of numerous large bucks that were all taken in Pennsylvania. The number of and size of bucks that I have got on camera hasn't always been present around here. Sure, the statewide antler restrictions and herd management have helped, but its more the fact that we have put time, money, and effort into the land and deer herd to get it this way. The hours and dollars spent planting food plots, the money spent putting in a supplemental feeding program throughout the year (with the exception of hunting season), the endless amount of immature bucks that have been passed up have all helped to turn the property and herd to the point it is now. You can pass this off as being lucky or what have you, but info on exactly how to manage MY property is something that can't be found in any book/magazine or on the internet. It takes atrue knowledge of the property and the herd todo this, and this is something that is aquired through YEARS ofactually getting out in the woods and scouting and doing the dirty work. You can make the same comments about me as you do aboutScott, but the fact is that not you, not anybody can come to my property having never been here and know the ins and outs of it. Sure, you could come over and hang a stand and maybe have a chance at a deer, but without the true knowledge that is aquired over years you wouldn't be able to do it year in and year out. Some things have to belearned over years, and they can't be learned over night.
As far as the others that post slammers every year, that is why I use the"ect.", I didn't feel like going through and mentioning every single one of these seasoned veterans that have figured out the who puzzle throughyears of experience.
As far as the "bozos on t.v." there is a little differance between hunting your own property and hunting a fenced ranch or an outfitter where mutiple people are paid to do nothing but study the deer and their patterns every single day. Sure, the hunters on those shows may not know a single thing about deer hunting, but the guides have spent years learning the deer, so that pretty much explains why the hunters are shooting the deer. It has little to do with location, it has everything to do with the fact that they are getting directed by people who have a true and thorough knowledge of the herd on that property.