ORIGINAL: Windwalker7
Food for thought here.
Has anyone here heard the term "managment buck"?
It probably originated in Texas. We've all seen those big racks on those hunting shows.
It seems that here in PA, we do everything bass akwards.
In Texas, they shoot the inferior bucks and let the bucks with potential grow.
Here in PA, we shoot the nicer bucks and let the smaller ones grow.
If you had two yearling bucks, one carrying 8 points and one a spike, guess which one is legal in PA.
We kill the buck with better genes and allow the spike to continue on.
Now, I have to admit that there are nicer bucks in PA because they get to get older, but down the road, you have to wonder how things will be.
I'm not sure if the ranch owners in Texas would like the idea of shooting off all the huge racked bucks and letting small bucks walk.
Just imagine what it would be like if the PGC decided to change the rules. If they said that for the next 3 years, the only legal buck in Pa would be spikes and fork horns.Anything bigger is off limits.
What do you think PA's buck situation would be like after 3 years of this?
Couple points here. First, in Texas they sell the big bucks for big bucks. If you don't have 10 grand to shoot one, you can pay a pittance to shoot a management buck. That is one that is pre-selected for removal, they tell you when he is spotted and you shoot him.
Another is that the difference between a spike yearling and an 8-point yearling is birthdate and to a lesser degree nutrition, not genetics.
Comparing Texas' high fence, high dollar hunting to PA's wild herd is not fair to the argument.
If you changed the rules and made it only spikes and forkies then you would end up with no bucks older than 1.5, just like the old days. All a hunter would need do is wack excess points off with a hammer to make it legal.