Here are three 8-pointers I shot on the same property in northern PA. Mountains, big woods. The two smaller ones were pre-AR. The bigger one is post. I rattled the biggest one in and he came in with his hair standing on end.

Here's another example of improvements in PA. 20 years ago, PA was the laughing stock of the whitetail world. Home of the 120 pound spike. Check out this sucker. Definitely more than 120 pounds. And not a spike. I honestly think those antlers are bigger than they look. The buck's body just makes them look average.

Wow! Thanks for sharing the pics. Honestly in 25 years of hunting I have never seen a buck like your big one (or the live one, he's a brute)

I personally don't like them in PA as I'm perfectly content shooting a 4 point. However, I cannot deny the results. I see bigger bucks. Not more bucks, but bigger for sure. Pre A.R. I might have seen lots, but most were spikes, 4's and a nice 6 point was considered a good buck. Now I see mostly 8's. Although, I see less deer than before the big doe slaughters happened. The numbers are coming back some, but doubt they'll ever be what they were. Which they say is a "healthy" herd. I'm alright with that. I enjoyed seeing 50+ deer everyday. But if they say the herd is healthier now that's good and I still manage to get some deer every year.


-Jake

I felt the same way at first. Now I'm trying to be a little more selective....at least in archery.

It helped that my son was a MY and is now a junior hunter. He has two more years of not being under ARs. He has shot two 4-pointers and a spike since he started hunting, so we got our meat without being selective. :D

Another thing we started seeing a few years after ARs......G4 tines and non-typical points. Before ARs, I was convinced that typical 8-pointers were the biggest bucks we could produce.

Sounds like you are lacking mature bucks. You would think, especially in Wisconsin, you'd be seeing a lot more big bucks (body and rackss)

with the antler restrictions that were mentioned a 200# mature 6 point is not a legal buck. so if you happen to have a gene of big 6 points what can you do about it with antler restrictions in place or do they have a way around this?

A gene pool consists of both bucks and does. It is not only the bucks that determine what the offspring will develop into.

Funny you should say that. We have had some mature 6-pointers. And this one is well over 200lbs. My neighbor shot him a few years ago. In our WMU, 3 points per side are legal. In some other areas, he gets a pass.

There is a lot of pressure (and pretty low standards) in my particular area.

Because of 6 points of that caliber not being able to be shot I am 100% against a 4 point on 1 side restriction. Not trying to start an argument over it but there are better solutions to having mature bucks being killed.