OUTDOOR LOGIC WITH BIOLOGIC
Should We Lower the
“Antler Bar”?
If obvious mature bucks like this one make you happy, then the news is good! Bucks with antlers this size are very obtainable in most regions of the country. (Photo Credit: Dean Bouton)
It seems that many hunters have developed unrealistic expectations for the whitetail woods. I blame myself, the rest of the hunting industry, the internet and outdoor programming for making it this way. People watch hunting shows on TV or online and think they should have the same success as the outdoor stars they see in videos. Are these improbable outlooks? Is it even possible for “Joe-hunter” to experience the same success on any property? Isn’t it really about what makes you, your family and friends happy? It just so happens that I am one of those nuts who likes to hunt big-antlered whitetails, but it doesn’t define my success. It seems things have gotten so serious … too serious. If you can’t duplicate what you see online or on your favorite hunting shows, 30
Cooperative Farming News
some believe they’ve failed. Sometimes it causes youth to lose interest, or longtime hunters to give up. This is disastrous for the outdoor industry. We may all need to “hit the reset button” on all of this “antler-mania.”
Acreage, Density, Neighbors and Reality Is it even possible to grow, let alone see and harvest, record-class whitetails every year? First, what do you consider “record-class”? Since I’m a bowhunter, I originally thought of things using the Pope & Young minimum of 125 inches as my mark. I think if you do things right, your odds of hitting this benchmark are very good! Many three-year old bucks will easily make this score – and to some, a 125-inch buck is big … but
