Mother nature should have been able to balance...
But you make my point, you have to manage it SOME way. YOu can't just let people decide... they'll kill anything and everything that walks....
But by "managing" it, you ARE letting people decide. You're culling spikes because you don't like or want spike deer. That's not managing for healthy heard. That's managing for antlers.
Well since most think they totally get me... I don't shoot all spikes. I shoot ones that I think need to be shot. But its about herd health, the midget deer, ain't good for the herd IMHO. I may be wrong, but bigger and healthier seem to do better in the long run.
We need to get this stuff out of folks heads that antler restrictions sole goal is for bigger head gear. Its sole goal( or at least should be IMHO) is for healthier deer herds.
Face it, deer herds will have to be managed one way or another.
Our local rules basic goal is to have deer of an older age class before they are legal. Helped out how and what actually bred. And let deer age long enough to be able to breed.
Shoot an illegal by rules but old buck, I've heard the wardens let that go almost all the time now... shoot a young almost legal you get a ticket.
Whats the flip side solution to this? Let everyone shoot anything no rules?
Although part of me does like what Scott has offered a few times. If it was you can shoot one deer a year, no rules to it, it might be fine too in a way. Thats one deer per X acres to me, and then make it whatever you want to shoot or whenever in the year you need or want to shoot it.
