This sounds fun! I'm not a trophy hunter. I will kill whatever my property can handle. I hunt because I LOVE to, and I kill for the meat. We have 6 kids, and we all prefer deer meat to beef, and I don't care what anyone says...its way cheaper than beef. In my opinion, and from basically every study I've heard of, IF a state wants to manage for big antlers, then that state needs to make it more difficult to kill bucks. The only way to grow more bucks with big antlers is to let bucks grow older. Not all 4.5 yo bucks have huge racks, and some 2.5 yo do. But to make an impact across the state, the state needs to implement regulations to allow bucks to get older. Most states have chosen to limit the number of bucks allowed per hunter and reduced the number of days open to firearms hunting, and control any excess doe populations. These WILL allow for bucks to get older and have bigger racks. There are just way way too many examples of this list to prove its viability. Big leases can practice these things and see it happen. Antler high-grading can throw this off, but I don't think over time it would. IF IT WERE UP TO ME (which its NOT, and I'm not suggesting this is what I want to see happen) to make a management decision to increase the trophy hunting in Tennessee here's the list:
1. Two buck limit, only one of which can be killed with rifle
2. Move MZ season to the last 2-3 weeks of December and doe only (unless you didn't kill a buck during rifle season)
3. Shorten rifle season to 3 weeks starting around Nov 10
4. Monitor doe populations by COUNTY yearly and use that to determine desired doe harvest
5. Reduce out-of-state tags and make them expensive (this one I really waiver on. If they are expensive, that limits who can afford it, although western states do this with elk)
Please, I am not saying this is what I want to see happen, just what I think would be a good management plan to increase the trophy hunting in Tennessee.
One of the things that I see as a problem with this scenario is the rifle season and the different rut timings in Tennessee. Having the rifle season so early would mean that some of our counties would miss hunting the rut, which I would never want to see happen to anyone.
My 2 cents.