original: nodog
It is a good post and your comments go along with something that, well... How is it you can say this when the deer herd is so out of wack? I think most of the complaining is done by guys who want the fame without putting in the time. What's your take? The part that bothers me is when they take it to a govermental level. They don't manage things well, everybody knows it.
First let me qualify my opinions as being based on private property albeit small parcels that still gets lots of hunting pressure but I have no way to compare it to some of the hunting pressure described my some of you guys on here about public land.
Second, we know and I think most accept the fact that the two things that make bigger deer within the same genetic pool of an area is age and nutrition.
So with this thought in mind, an out of whack deer population may cause (this is all theoretical on my part) a 4 1/2 to 6 1/2 year old deer that could have possibly scored a 160+ may actually only score 140 due to the overpopulation and competition for nutrition.
But I submit that there are more of these age group deer that outsmart us and survive that allows most areas to have more BIG deer around than what most hunters think.
And I will continue to believe (believe? heck, I know. How's that for arrogance?) that calling a 3 1/2 year old deer mature is incorrect if the category "mature" is used to define the most challenging animal in the woods. With a little time and effort I can kill a 3 1/2 yo every year. Not true with a 4 1/2 yo or older.
But my acceptance of the above is what still motivates me to get out there every chance I get and continue to observe, learn and grow as a hunter.
As the old saying goes, Are you a hunter that has hunted 20 years but has one year's worth of experience 20 times over or do you really have 20 years experience.