Nomad I agree a the size of the kill shouldn't matter , as long as the hunter is happy
BUT since so many hunters use the . "IF I don't kill it someoen else will" excuse, and also hear so many hunters say, they wish they would get a big buck
well only way this happens is if foklks stop shooting smaller bucks
and to be honest, its not a great thing to be doing on the science side of things
there is plenty of proven data that having older deer breed, makes for a stronger better health herd
I too grew up hunting in the big woods, and still do from time to time, so I hear what your saying about quality
but at the same time, over killing deer in these places, was also, the hunters hunting there 's fault as much as the state's
hearing so many hunters in these area's cry about there being no deer left where there used to be tons, and then still killing every legal one they see
they are there own problem(granted teh state did allow the over kill)
but at same time, one main reason there is a lack of deer in ANY area, is lack of what a deer needs to live 24/7/365
and this fact seems to fall on deaf ears of far too many hunters
far too many hunters say well deer klived there yrs back, so should still be able to live there now
and that's is just wrong thinking
the forest have matured a ton, and the lack of new forest regeneration, left the mature forest , with poor if any good food for deer to live off yr round
I will blame the state here a LOT
as I am sure you heard me say this
and a asecond problem with these so called major BIG tracted state/federal forest(and not bashing at all)
is that these places come rifle season, turn into major hunting spots, with ten's of thousands or more hunters flocking to these areas, more so in the past, but still happens
so when you get a few hundred thousand hunters hunting in places that see little human traffic , and all these hunters feeling its a expected RIGHT to go home with a buck, they tend to kill first legal buck they see
most just do it cause they want to say they killed a buck, or just any deer for many
this thinking doesn't help an area where low deer numbers are, or poor habitat managment has been going on
thus hunters in these places can be as big or bigger parts of the problems
they can cry about the deer all they want, but if they keep killing deer, they are the problem
just cause you live own or?? doesn't mean you have to still hunt there
I know the feeling, I have a farm, I hunt loaded near deer, deer live off farm, and due to people about me, I cannot really hunt it no more, ot sucks
but moving would solve my hunting issue's
I can and have many other places to hunt, But I prefer to hunt at this farm, due to all I put into it, but its getting to the point, its a waste of my time
right thing for me to do would be hunt lese where

same answer it is for many others, yet most don't like this answer
few do anything to change the answer, by doing any real QDM to the lands they have access to, holding back on killing any more deer, , going to state meetings, writing state officials
they want the easy ride, with having the problem magically fixed by ???
again, I am not bashing on you Nomad
just pointing out problems and the facts, we the hunters are as much to blame as any state dept
granted the state has the power to change more, or does it??