Antler restrictions aren't that important to me. I'm just following the rules and trust that the ones who make them know what they are doing. Surely they know more than we do.
This is my second year hunting and I've yet to get a buck. I certainly had my chances last year (missed two during rifle) and this year (missed one during archery).

Turd, can I call you Turd? Anyway, I will touch on some of your comments.
#1 On managed game ranchs, they do shoot the biggest, mature bucks. They hold off shooting them until they are at least 4.5 years old, usually 5.5 years old. This way the buck can achieve its full potential.
Now if you are talking about high fence ranchs....some of them never shoot the biggest bucks! They are too valuable as breeders, and for selling their sperm, or offspring from dominant does.

Shooting mature bucks(usually the biggest bucks in the woods)is a proven management practice for a healthy, balanced herd. Big bucks are merely a nice biproduct of this practice!
And I did not learn that from the "human weasel" as you call him.

#2 Not being there, I cannot say what Alts "snide little grin" really meant, but I would have to agree with his words. Regardless of what ANY HUNTER says, you put a big 10 point and a little 6 point beside each other, during legal season= 1 million shots fired at the 10 point, 0 shots fired at the dink!

#3 I read a transcript of an Alt meeting where he was asked just how many Insurance companys come to him about lowering herd #`s?
His reply was that nobody from the Insurance industry has ever come to him about it!
Even I thought that was odd, so I asked my insurance agent about it. My agent said that deer/auto accidents don`t bother the Insurance companys one little bit. They have statistical data that tells them how many of these accidents occur in any given region annually. And since they have this data, they simply adjust the rates for each given region. Doesn`t cost them a dime!

#4 As far as Forest Co. goes... I have hunted that county sparingly for over 30 years myself. I must agree with you on your observations as far as deer sitings go. I think you feel it is because of doe harvests. I feel it is much different than that.
30 years ago, there were still many working farms in that region, now there are very few! Also, and the biggest reason, IMHO is that deer herds in big timber country like Forest Co. fluctuate in direct proportion with the timbering cycles. Immediately after major timbering takes place deer have more cover, and much better browsing in the timber. At times like now, when the majority of the forest is mature, the undergrowth is long gone, along with the cover. The land can only hold X amount of animals.
I am not saying that doe tag #`s, or other strategies by the PGC has had no negative effect on the herd, but I don`t think it is anything more than the natural cycle in big timber country.

I could be way wrong here, my wife tells me I usually am!<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
But thats my story, and I`m sticking to it!

NRA,UBP,BASS Member
New Stanton,PA

[Deleted by Admins]

PA redneck, good for you young man! And you know it is just a matter of time, you will get him!<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

NRA,UBP,BASS Member
New Stanton,PA

Pa redneck, I like the way you think. Wish more young people were like you, old people for that matter. If a kid is only excited about hunting to just kill something, they are in it for the wrong reasons, but if that's the case, to keep them happy they should shoot a doe rather than a scrubby buck.

If AR doesn't work, I believe Pa.'s hunter population and pressure on the buck resource will force us to buck tags.

i do..up until this year ive seen one buck while hunting and couldnt shot it or id be in jail for knocking a guy behind hin out of his treestand with my bullet also...i see over 20 does a year so the problem isnt im in a bad area...this year im 15 and this is my 4th season i got my first buck..a 6pt and it did follow the ARs for that county...i would like to see people start passing on the basket rack trophys as they are called now for bigger bucks..then juniors would say hey theres alot of small big bucks why take a spike..but thats later after they work...now you try taking your son hunting his first year and telling him no son dont shoot when a nice 4pt steps put perfectly...if my dad did that to me and my buck this year(lets say it was a 4pt) i would been pretty mad..but then again if you dont let your kids read the rule books(i know it better than most adults it seems) you might be alright and it wouldnt hurt him because he doensnt know he CAN take it...i like that rule myself i think kids need to get interested in hunting...and watching trees all day is no fun..maybe change the age from 17 to 16 and save a few..because at 16 your hunting alone and i will be driving next season and i will hunt alot more..i think i might pass on the small bucks next year too...a 6 or bigger is getting it for sure...but i iwll have more time to hunt being i dont have to wait for dad so i might pass small bucks if i see any..or they can make it automatic juniors get a doe tag for the same price but gaurentteeds plus they can get the other ones..gota do more to keep youth interested..i took both my deer before this years in special junior regs....