ORIGINAL: GMMAT
Personally I don't look at inches.. that's called vanity. When a whitetail reaches 3 or 4+ yrs. of age he's now in a different class and experience. He's "smarter" so to speak. Whether he has 50" of antler or 150" of antler he is still a mature whitetail and I will never dismiss a whitetail taken by any hunter of this caliber.
Inches do not make experience and brilliance. Age is the ultimate judge.
Dan...you seem to (OK...you DO) agree with someone who I respect a lot....and wrote this, recently. Kudos.
Scott: There's no wrong answer to shooting either one of them. But the same type question could be asked of you....if we simply leaveALL the inches of antler out of the scenario.
Which is a bigger "trophy".....a 1.5yr old or a 3.5 yr old (or insert any age discrepancy you feel bolsters your argument)? I would "think"....to the "true" "mature buck hunter" (and not the antler hunter).....the age class of the deer would detemrine the answer.
If you're an antler hunter.....you can leave the maturity of the animal out of the equation. You just happen to live in an area of the country where the two aren't mutually exclusive......but rather go hand in hand.
Edit**
Also..HOW MANY people can say they've shot a 6.5yr old deer.....v. a 4.5yr old?
You start to realize these things when you hunt in an area that has a huge range of rack sizes in all age classes....
I have seen 5.5 yr old bucks up here that would score 80" and others that would score 160"+. Now, and I'll admit it, because I'm an antler hunter I won't shoot the 80"....I'll hold out. Does that mean the 160" buck is more of a challenge to kill? Hell no.....he was just belssed with better genetics.
Edit: I read your quote after I typed this.....I thought you had quoted me and skipped over it. I agree with that author 100%.