TN Whitetail Freak":2nmdvsu8 said:
My comment was purely a statement that reflects the fact that TN can and will hold 130" deer with regularity if the deer was allowed to live I.e.showing restraint and managing a piece of ground, allowing no hunting, or regs restriction whatever the case may be....my point its reasonable to believe the potential is reality. By the way love the indirect assumptions I'm unable to learn and stuck in fantasy outdoor channel world SCN haven't had cable in 10 yrs
TN Whitetail Freak,
Perhaps I'm misinterpreting your post, but the point I'm trying to make--and the point scn first proposed for this thread--is the difference between realistic
potential and realistic
expectations. "Potential" is what the area can produce. "Expectations" are what hunters will kill year in and year out. The two
can be very different. Now I do agree that many if not most locations in TN
can produce 130-class bucks. However, the question is whether the hunters can kill those bucks year in and year out. Some can. Some do not now, but might be able to if their skills were seriously upgraded, and/or
they make the commitment to do so. And that last part is critical. Some have the skills necessary but simply don't want to make the commitment, for any number of legitimate reasons. But a discussion of "realistic expectations" must include what a specific group of hunters can kill year in and year out
given their current skill/dedication level. That will not be the same between groups of hunters. Take two sets of hunters and have them hunt the same property. The realistic expectations for those two groups may be different, based on their skill/dedication level.