This statement shows a lack of understanding of the critical factors that relate to antler growth in yearling deer.

Genetic potential to grow large racks at maturity has a very very low correlation at best to the antler growth of a yearling buck, (thus the enormous amount of spike and forkhorn yearling bucks that are present in NYS forrests). The primary contributer to large racks in yearling bucks is access to good nutrition....something most free ranging deer in NY lack. That means that spike and forkhorn yearling are not the genetic "rejects" of the population, nor are the rare six and eight point yearlings neccesarily the genetic "stars" of the gene pool....Given the opportunity to grow toward maturity both are equally likely to produce racks at maturity of relatively comparable size. Add to these facts that the presence of increased numbers of 2.5 yr and older bucks will substantially decrease the pressure on all "basket racked" yearlings including the rarer six and eight pointers and one can see that claims of the potential to alter the gene pool in a free ranging population of whitetails in an uncontrolled public hunt is sensationalism at its best and in reality just a claim lacking in substantial scientific evidence or whitetail growth charectoristics.

JC