OK, but with the antler restrictions, the better 8 point 2.5 YO would more than likely be "legal" to shoot. The lesser quality 4 point 2.5 YO will have a much better chance of making it to be 3.5.
Antler restrictions alone will not necessarily make for better 3.5 YO deer.
The best 2.5's may be wide enough to be legal butthe majoritywon't. In most of the TX counties with the restriction, there is little liklihood that any 8 point walks so I believe this will allow better 2.5's to make it to 3.5. But I agree that harvesting by age is the best practice - it is just that you can't really have a legal standard based on age because the criteria is too subjective for enforcement.