you talk about anialating spikes as if its a bad thing, How many trees does that Spike buck eat a year, plus how many more in the next 3 years does it shread to death? doesn't really seem like our forest biologist and deer management think of that. as far as im concerned going to Texas and shooting a Huge Buck is no accomplishment, when that is really all they have running around, but when you are able to harvest a big buck in an area that has very few large bucks, then you have done something that deserves a reconition. unless you shot it on the first couple days of rifle, where no skill other than being able to shoot. is needed. its just a matter of being in the right place at the right time when someone else messed up and pushed him up to you.
and for you private landers, with you heated windowed treestands, why don't you just go to one of those pet, pay and shoot farms? its not much different.