To much of my time and energy has already been wasted on this futile topic.Seemingly a lot of intellectualizing has been going on to provide justification for killing 1.5 year old bucks.While I want to contribute more I know there is no good reason to.
My sincere sequence of priority is Habitat first,animal second,and hunter third.Now you go ahead and twist that around to any way you see fit,or however it serves you.That's how it is for me.Do I want to kill big bucks,yes I absolutely do and make no apologies for it,but not in a million years would I put that desire before thecondition of the habitat or the health of a herd.
Years ago I was listening to D!ck Henry who at the time was the head deer biologist for the DEC in my region of New York,he was addressing a gathering of hunters who were peppering him with questions about where all the big bucks are.I laughed my tail off when he gave this answer without skipping a beat,he said they are all home in your horn box.
Most of,not all,of the hunters who consistently kill 1.5 year old bucks want to kill bigger deer but they don't want to be the ones to pass on bucks they would routinely kill.There in lies the rub,the latter wont happen without the former.If you ever have the good fortune to kill a big old buck you can either thank the rut for having him wander in from an area you havn't shot out,or thank a selective buck hunter who passed on that animal in hopes of meeting it again someday in the future.
It is not my intention at all to alienate anyone or to come across as arrogant.If I have offended anyone I apologize!
I will never get drawn into a conversation of this nature again.At least not in this setting.