So... How long do you think it will take for the "we want bigger antlers" crowd to take over this new group?
IMHO, going by past actions of literally every "deer management" group I've taken a little time to look at, and not join, one fact remains consistent.
If whitetail bucks didn't sport antlers, few of the groups would exist and if they did, their membership would be a fraction of what it is. Their reason to exist includes increasing "trophy" buck numbers or the group would never have materialized, THEREFORE, while it may not be listed as a goal.....the fact that buck whitetails DO grow antlers IS involved.
Some may CLAIM that "we want bigger antlers" is NOT the main goal of a group but 10 minutes reading any discussions and size of racks and means to have more of them WILL be involved MUCH more than all the other possible subjects added together. Regardless of what a group's
listed purpose is, the true reason is easily seen when one views what is discussed most. A group MAY exist that doesn't discuss trophy bucks more than all the rest, but I've never seen one.
Most the groups can have a positive affect on our biggest problem, that of available habitat, so there is always a hoped for improvement in this area from any group's actions but if you asked members INDIVIDUALLY the purpose of their involvement the results would mirror the replies gotten asking most the current day deer hunter's reply.
"I want to shoot a bigger buck".
Should anyone feel this is NOT the "common goal" of today's average Joe Deer Hunter, do your own poll amongst those you bump into locally. The tv programs and the largest portion of articles and books written involve that single subject.
The national "competition" in the deer and turkey hunting world is evident in the literally thousands of blinds, calls, special barrels or chokes, camo, scents or "scent free" items, etc, etc. created, manufactured and marketed FOR only this single desire of game that "scores higher". Yes, there is a lot of the same for waterfowl too but compare to those for deer and turkey in numbers.
With the increased number of deer and turkeys, the long honored "challenge of hunting" has been replaced with the challenge of game with more inches ..of whatever.
Most of us know of deer and / or turkey leases. How many of us know of upland game (quail, pheasant, rabbit) leases? There is no "scoring system" for upland game taken, therefore?.......no competition to partake in and therefore "not worth it" to most.
While Pheasants Forever and Quail Unlimited and the like DO exist and funds go to universally improving grasslands etc for such, out of the numbers of hunters you and I know?
How many belong and contribute? FORGET putting thousands of dollars into something that we could
individually build into prime upland game habitat areas, that we ONCE HAD.
Big Racks is what drives the deer groups and effects anything related to deer hunting and has created a multi-million dollar industry that did NOT exist in my youth. Quoted or not, "We want bigger bucks" is there in all the groups.
If one was financially capable of controlling a large piece of ground and limit the "kill everything" insecticides, return the fence rows and swamps to decade past size, limit herbicide use too, one could, IN TIME, maintain nice populations of all the small game (but you might have to "re-introduce" crickets and grasshoppers too,
)
Sadly, IMO what is missed here is that THE DEER would come as well. No, it wouldn't be sculptured towards "bigger racks" so....na, "Not worth it".