cptleo1:

While I agree with you.....my original intent was discussing public perception. Public perception is the guy who shoots the big deer is a good hunter. Big deer live in the big deer states. We can all do the math .

For what it is worth.

This is a HUGE buck for Florida.

I would make an educated guess that over 98 % of Florida hunters havenever seen a deer of this size in the woods/alive

I doubt he scores 125

That buck scores over 125...

EASILY.

When I said they find new ground I wasn't talking about packing up the family and heading to the midwest. There are big bucks in every state that holds deer, you just have to find them.

So we're back to "location".

My only point (and Im not bustin on you Scott...at all) is that public perception is that "successful" hunters are the ones killing big deer. "Big" is relative. Check the P&Y entries for Florida.

Location is 100% of it. You don't see many revered whitetail hunters come out of Fl, SC, etc... . Why is that?

That is very true, but finding them and being able to hunt them are two different things. I have found a lot of properties that hold P&Y deer, but I have never been able to gain access to these properties for one of two reasons. They are either locked up exclusively by another hunter or group of hunters, or there is no hunting allowed on or near where these deer live.

Believe me Scott, I have done all of the things you have mentioned as have a lot of hunters around me, but we can't hunt those deer. What is really frustrating is that many times, the guys that do have permission on these properties are clowns that have very little hunting skill, but regularly score on big bucks because of the property they have.

Ya'll aren't gonna believe this coming from me......but I'll give you a PRIME example of the down-side of not living in the right place....but likely being a damned good hunter.

Atlasman.

Stick him in Illinois and watch his trophy room wall grow.

I agree they don't hold the numbers of big bucks like other areas do. I believe the long gun seasons, very liberal buck bag limits, over population of animals, use of dogs etc etc.... hold these areas back. Alabama has good bucks, so does Georgia and Mississippi.... Look how far South Texas and Mexico are.... Why do these southern states have more good deer thanthe others????

All I am saying is it isn't the "location" as much as what happens there.

Like I said there are "big" bucks every where deer are found..... Like I posted in another thread NC just had a 140some inch buck entered into P&Y..... They are there.
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GREAT POINT!

So...we have all those things....BECAUSE we have so many deer. Do away with them....and we're severely overpopulated (which stunts deer growth).

OK....let's all do an experiment. Let's all go out (people in these three states AND NC, OH, IA, IL)in our back yards and plant an azeala. It'll survive the cold of the midwest states.....and it'll be fine in our heat. Catch is....don't add any topsoil. Just stick it in the existing soils. Let's all check back in a year and see how they're doing.

The soils in the states of the midwest....AND the states you mention, Scott....are the reason the deer grow bigger. What they're eating is far more nutritous in the midwest and select southern states.

NC had "A" 140" buck entered? How many did OH have (out of curiosity)?