Older and Mature is one thing, Too old and not producing is another. We have more than enough mature "wise" Does on the properties. And while yes we get some pretty rough winters here in Southern Illinois, it's really nowhere near as rough as it is in Michigan USUALLY that is. I think this past winter was about freaking equal. Nasty year!
While that 8 or better rule is okay, maybe you would find it even better if you would all try to learn to judge age in the field. Dropping an 8 point 3.5 year old kind of circumvents the entire process don't you think? If you want to see more trophy bucks, then you have to let them grow up and reproduce. In some places I know that 3.5 year old bucks are about as old as they get because people see them and drop them. Then they complain about not seeing any quality racks. It's a pretty rough situation to get around until you can either get people on surrounding properties to try to do better or have a large enough property of your own that you can simply close off to everyone else that won't adhere to your rules.