Just like determining the value of real estate,the three most important aspects in killing big deer is location,location,location!
Rob and Duke,pretty much summed it up for me ie.shooting 31/2 year old bucks in ohio,Illinois,Wisconsin,Iowa,Kansas,or any of the other destination big buck states does not make someone a better hunter than the hunter from Pennsylvania,New Jersey,New York etc. who also kills or consistently kills 31/2 or older aged bucks.The challenge is in the deers age and not it's head gear.I would never diminish someones accomplishment no matter where they are from,nor would I attribute greater respect to them as a result of the size of the bucks they shoot.It is all about age class in relationship to accomplishment,not spread,tine length or score.
People place to much emphasis on what other people are doing.Our focus should be on the doing the best we can ( if that is important to the person)in the area's we choose to hunt.