RE: ar restictions for ny
I'd love to know how any hunter, knows for a fact, that big bucks are "doing the lions share of breeding" at night. Are you watching deer breed at night, w/ infrared goggles from your treestand? Any deer that have had their breeding habits studied ,have been in a controlled environment, and were not likely to be pressured into breeding nocturnally. Even wild deer tracked w/ a radio collar, how would they know when deer were breeding?
Most things in nature are alot simpler than humans perceive them to be. I think deer get big because they have adapted to hunting pressure to the point,that some can even resist the urge to breed in order to avoid hunters. I dont think its intelligence though, I think its just instinct.
I dont think any deer are "smart" ,and "dominance" in the deer world is a myth too IMO, they are herd animals, not pack animals like canines, I think they fight out of sheer aggression due to increased testosterone during the prerut.