Now just how do you think this area gets to become "the heart of big buck country"??? I can assure you,.... it's NOT because we kill all of our up and coming young bucks! That is my point... once you can get area hunters to allow the immature animals to pass... good things happen. If more people would do this.... they wouldn't be willing to pay so much to hunt someplace else that tries to keep the lil' bucks alive! LOL !

YOU are the one that wanted to play the numbers and score game and thump your chest a bit... not I. I've only stressed allowing the young bucks to live past that critical first season. I've also mentioned that this "meat hunter" claim is a bunch of bullcrap and surely isn't an excuse to kill everything with antlers! I shoot as many or more Does every season as any other "meat hunter" so I think I'm qualified to call myself a meat hunter then to..... aren't I ? LOL! I think I made for pretty valid, easy to understand points thus far.

I will make NO apologies for living and hunting in the heart of Illinois, however...... you're missing a major point! Just because I'm located here in west-central IL doesn't exactly mean there are monster bucks behind evey tree. There are many areas and regions here that just won't produce many "big" bucks simply because no one will let their smaller bucks live past 2 1/2! It takes effort... no matter where you live. Just becaus you live hee doesn't mean monster bucks with some magical death wish suddenly stand in front of you! What it does mean is that our deer are gentically blessed to grow to awesome sizes WHEN THEY SURVIVE to maturity..... they aren't born giants! They must be passed on as 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 animals to reach this "big buck" status that you seem to think makes yourself a macho man when you kill one ..... get the picture ?!?

Letting the 18 month old, yearling bucks, pass has absolutely NOTHING to do with where I live..... it happens the SAME way everywhere whitetail live. Let 'em go and they WILL GROW... get it? I have never said that a buck has to score "X" number of inches, he just needs to get a little older. I don't care what he scores.... just let 'em live past his very first season that he carries head gear! Like I said, it's time to start holding hunters responsible for the choices they make out there.

Don't act like I'm the enemy and live in some magical kingdom simply because my people are willing to sacrifice more than yours are! We all have the same ops t pass on young bucks evry season.... regardless of what state you live. Deer numbers have never been higher so why no focus on killing some Does and let a young buck of two walk?

Oh, and for the record.... BOTH of my young sons, ages 9 & 10, took their first Bucks this season... guess what they were.... 2 yearling Bucks, one Spike and the other a 4 pointer! I couldn't have been more proud of them.... however, even at their young age they already want to raise the bar! LOL!

I just can't believe that hunters in their 30's, 40's and 50's wouldn't be able to see the light. Man, how boring would that be, to go ot and shoot the most naive and easily killed deer in the entire herd.... every year without wanting to make it more? Maybe it's just the fact that many feel that they need to hurry and kill the first yearling buck they see, that way they can hurry back to the local tavern and brag to everyone that they got their "buck"! SAD state of affairs if you ask me!