ORIGINAL: fellas2
I really don't think anybody is disagreeing that the AR has produced some bigger bucks,that only common sense since especially here in 2A and 2B,it halmost has to be a basic 8 point to be legal.Many hunters ,myself included ,are questioning why the pure numbers have dropped so drastically.If 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 year old bucks given a free pass to live on,should they not then be available to harvest as 3 1/2 , 4 1/2, and 5 1/2 year old bucks ?
Fair question Rodger,
The pure numbers have dropped for several reasons IMHO
HR, the concurrent season and and the aggressive harvest of does is part of it of course. But so is the evolution, or deterioration if you will, of habitat in some areas with 2G being the most significant example.
As for the 3 1/2 and up bucks, I'm not sure there is any way to manage statewide for them with 900,000+ hunters unless we begin to limit buck tags in some way. I don't think that is a concept that will ever fly here. One thing for sure is that no buck can get to 3.5+ if it dies at 1.5.
It is only reasonable, while admittedly not proven, that SOME of those bucks allowed to live through that foolish "teenage year" will gain an opportunity to learn the survival skills necessary to get to 3.5 and beyond.