But I believe the differences are over-stated regarding how much larger a 3 1/2-yr-old KY buck COULD become on average vs. a 3 1/2-yr-old TN buck.

Yeah Butler Co KY is where ive hunted my whole life (top B&C county in the state). Like i said before i cant see any difference in the antler sizes per age class. So that's why im confused. Should i be seeing 140" 2.5 yr olds from my KY stand? Cause i never have.

The 3 1/2 year-old bucks I see in west KY photo-censuses blow my mind.

I'LL NAME CALL!!!!!! But not guys on here.

I'm not talking about the 1/2/3 or whatever limit arguement here.

But, without some limits, MANY will kill just to kill. Waste it, leave it, regardless, MANY would kill year 'round just to be killing if there was no limit.

Back when it was 11 bucks, I had 2 guys down the road from us that would bet a few hundred dollars with each other EVERY year. The bet was which one of them would "MAX OUT" on bucks first.

It was not whether they could but which WOULD get 11 bucks first. They each killed the maximum every year. Several of their friends and family also came close.

They would kill spikes and up, didn't matter. And then start calling and begging somebody to take the deer. They didn't want it. They might cut the back straps out and try to get rid of the rest of it. AND if somebody would take it BEFORE it was tagged and tag it themself, THAT WAS EVEN BETTER. That way they could kill even more.

IMO It was nothing but a pathetic example of some twisted inferiority complex that motivated them to over compensate for a lack of confidence or masculinity in their mind or elsewhere. Coupled with a need to "control" things in order to feel in charge like the "alpha dog" or something. And what better way to control than the ultimate control of killing....just to be killing......because "they could"?

People who kill for no reason other than to brag about it, have serious issues that they need to deal with IMO. That's the only reason those folks killed, was for bragging rights and a bet.

Most of the time it's based around insecurities.

Kinda like the desire of many to be "rich and famous". Being rich would be nice because money has it's advantages. But you can keep the "famous" part because I have no desire or need to have false admiration to feel good about myself.

Now, somebody buy my hunting land over in the classifieds so I can at least be "rich"!

They are the first ones to COMPLAIN about not seeing any BIG Bucks as well!!

Thats why I don't even hunt Tn anymore cause I got tired of letting small bucks walk and then the next IDIOT would whack them,makes no sense to me at all,shoot does if you want the meat and let the younger bucks grow.

Just curious, Wes, but what DATA are you looking at that is showing MOST of the largest-antlered and 8-point yearlings are being killed on a large scale basis as you continue to post?

Yes, there is see some of it on my lease just like you see on yours. But, I, personally would not be quick to make the jump that it is happening enough to even be an issue unless you are seeing something in our statewide data that I'm missing.

The only scientific data I have seen out there where high grading is even a remote issue is in states where antler restrictions may make hunters take a disproportionate number of the prime yearlings that happen to fall into that antler point class a year earlier than planned. While some clubs manage (or maybe mis-manage) by point rules, it isn't a state rule and IMO isn't that widespread.

Absent of data to the contrary, my quess is hunters are shooting the largest racked deer they see at the same rate they were 25 years ago. Outside of very localized situations (like your lease), I have great doubts that enough high grading is going on to amount to any issue or problem.

Point me towards the data so I can be a believer!

Just curious, Wes, but what DATA are you looking at that is showing MOST of the largest-antlered and 8-point yearlings are being killed on a large scale basis as you continue to post?