Pahick,
Really enjoy your posts. Thanks!!!!
We don't agree on AR regs, but time may change things. You say age results in big horns and that can't be argued. However, if like in the past, the overwhelming majority of Bucks shot in Pa-like what 80plus percent?-would be 1.5 years old, then explain how they are going to get old?
The same way they are now, and have always done it. By evading hunters. For the first few year I think there was a slight benefit in some of the higher density areas, but Herd Reduction took numbers so low, most areas dont have long term hunting pressure. One member on here likes to point out how big the deer are in his area, but this member wont show you the years of local(to his camp and my former home area) big buck contest results which are about the same as today. I brought one of the contest papers to Alt during one of his sales pitches.His response �f isolated incidences had folks a little PO'd to say the least.
With the current deer numbers add in hunters, or lack of. These deer are making it a few more years, and as the baby boomers pass on, itll be easier for them to do so. Unless the herd exlodes again, and the GC hands tags out like candy, then we're back to needing a kickstart, AR's. But for now I see no need to keep AR's. Many folks will continue to limit themselves well after AR disappears, if it would. This generation seems to be more concerned with antler size more than any other time in history. They cant seem to be interested to hunt more than 2 or 3 days of rifle
But they like big racks.
Yes, some Deer may never grow antlers large enough to be legal and they will breed. One of the downsides of AR. The best method to grow big horns is to kill by age. However, that takes experience in knowing what you are looking at, combined with restraint on the hunters part. Just isn't going to happen on Pa public land.
AR seems to be a working compromise.
I agree in that I think Deer move more on cloudy days. I also think high wind and low temps are more the reason that how the sky looks.
I wouldnt be so concerned with that sub legal older buck spreading his genes. He may have a flaw, but its one that rarely can be passed down through genes. But I agree and as said above hunter restraint is important, if you need big bucks, in some areas. Most areas isnt going to matter much.
