Sylvan, AR results in more bucks reaching a higher age class. Here in PA where everything is so screwed up supposedly about 15% more bucks survive to the next higher age class(conservative #). Why would you not want this to occur? Do you want 18 month old bucks doing all of the breeding? An 18 month old buck can potentially pass on the same genes as a 5.5 year old, potentially. I think you may be doing a great injustice to your quarry by saying that luck is all that is involved with a more reclusive, cunning animal making it to a higher age class. Isn't luck as much a factor today as it was when other predators were taking deer? It's as if you think they are all just dumb animals. Why would a system have been designed by nature, God whatever that resulted in any animal where the older ones are doing all the breeding prior to our intervention.. to pass on genes by time tested animals. It doesn't matter if humans, cougars, wolves or aliens are harvesting deer . A deer is just as lucky to avoid a cougar attack by being more alert or quicker as he is to avoid an unskilled marksman or a vehicle. If you don't believe me regarding animal reproduction and genetic traits go to the encyclopedias. It won't mention anything about guinea pigs or fur seals sporting massive racks as the reason for their older peers doing all the breeding. Big racks are secondary. it is only the means used in a mass implementation to get deer into older age classification...... period.

it is o.k. to make killing an OLDER buck easier. it is not o.k. for hunters not to realise that wildlife management will be taken away from us if we don't embrace an approach that's aim is to establish a more natural state. Any method we can use to accomplish this should be embraced