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<blockquote data-quote="TheLBLman" data-source="post: 5506041" data-attributes="member: 1409"><p>IMO, you're are not appreciating the significance of antler high grading by hunters, nor my pointing out that the deer hunting regulations are the #1 factor contributing to it.</p><p></p><p>Antler high grading will exist anywhere & everywhere there is buck hunting, unless, no bucks were killed prior to reaching full maturity of 5 1/2 or older. That kind of age-based criteria will never happen in most places, or at least not in most places with enough acreage to fully encompass a buck's roamings.</p><p></p><p>Even where a maturity age rule exists, mistakes happen, and those mistakes typically mean top-end 3 1/2s or 4 1/2s getting killed when the rule is 5 1/2 or older.</p><p></p><p>We, as individual hunters can reduce antler high-grading by more of us focusing on only taking 5 1/2 & older bucks. It's just not reasonable to expect that from all hunters, much less even most hunters, and again, the best of us will still make mistakes.</p><p></p><p>What most drives antler high grading is the number of deer gun hunting days. More gun hunting days, more antler high grading from hunters. But it happens anywhere there is any hunting, regardless whether archery or gun.</p><p></p><p>It happens to a much greater extent in TN than KY mainly because we have over twice as many gun hunting days. Sure, there are other factors, but believe this is #1. Antler restrictions tend to make antler high-grading worse.</p><p></p><p>I have no problem with TN's regs being tweaked slightly in an effort to slightly increase herd health and slightly decrease antler high grading. About the only thing currently practical & "reasonable" (my opinion) would be to totally end deer season a few days earlier (such as December 31st).</p><p></p><p>About the only way to near eliminate hunters' antler high grading is to have zero deer hunting.</p><p>Even then, the top-end antlered bucks get illegally poached at a much higher rate than average antlered ones.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TheLBLman, post: 5506041, member: 1409"] IMO, you're are not appreciating the significance of antler high grading by hunters, nor my pointing out that the deer hunting regulations are the #1 factor contributing to it. Antler high grading will exist anywhere & everywhere there is buck hunting, unless, no bucks were killed prior to reaching full maturity of 5 1/2 or older. That kind of age-based criteria will never happen in most places, or at least not in most places with enough acreage to fully encompass a buck's roamings. Even where a maturity age rule exists, mistakes happen, and those mistakes typically mean top-end 3 1/2s or 4 1/2s getting killed when the rule is 5 1/2 or older. We, as individual hunters can reduce antler high-grading by more of us focusing on only taking 5 1/2 & older bucks. It's just not reasonable to expect that from all hunters, much less even most hunters, and again, the best of us will still make mistakes. What most drives antler high grading is the number of deer gun hunting days. More gun hunting days, more antler high grading from hunters. But it happens anywhere there is any hunting, regardless whether archery or gun. It happens to a much greater extent in TN than KY mainly because we have over twice as many gun hunting days. Sure, there are other factors, but believe this is #1. Antler restrictions tend to make antler high-grading worse. I have no problem with TN's regs being tweaked slightly in an effort to slightly increase herd health and slightly decrease antler high grading. About the only thing currently practical & "reasonable" (my opinion) would be to totally end deer season a few days earlier (such as December 31st). About the only way to near eliminate hunters' antler high grading is to have zero deer hunting. Even then, the top-end antlered bucks get illegally poached at a much higher rate than average antlered ones. [/QUOTE]
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