I don't know how many times over the last 10 years I have had a conversation with someone about antler inflation. It starts something like this... "Remember when a 160 inch deer used to get everyone excited?, or "Gosh, in my day we used to get excited if we could shoot anything that had an ANTLER"

This is usually paired with some talk about breeders, high fences, and protein feed making truly "big" deer small and knocking the "common" folks out of the dream.

Ladies and Gentlemen please meet exhibit A:

http://www.boone-crockett.org/news/f...ea=news&ID=125

"Trophy whitetail entries from 2011 hunting seasons are beginning to pour into Boone and Crockett Club headquarters. But while the sporting world waits to see which states are hot--or not--producers of giant bucks, North America's overall robust trend in whitetail entries is a story for all conservationists to celebrate.
B&C historical records show that trophy whitetails are up 400 percent over the past 30 years."

"B&C Trophy Whitetail Production, 2005-2010
(Typical and non-typical trophies combined)

1. Wisconsin, 383 entries (1980-1985 rank 3rd, 40 entries)
2. Illinois, 299 entries (1980-1985 rank 6th, 30 entries)
3. Iowa, 224 entries (1980-1985 rank 2nd, 59 entries)
4. Ohio, 215 entries (1980-1985 rank 14th, 16 entries)
5. Missouri, 214 entries (1980-1985 rank 9th (tie), 25 entries)"

These deer are not a result of Fences and breeding, so what gives?

The Boone and Crockett club thinks it is because of an increase in population. When you look at the 5 year intervals it shows not a 400% increase... but a ~900% increase compared to the same time interval 25 years earlier.

There aren't ten times more deer now than 30 years ago. They are wrong. What has changed in 30 years?

The answer is knowledge. The increase in land and herd stewardship through the personal pursuit of knowledge has caused this dramatic increase in trophy collection. We now talk endlessly about trail cams and age and score. This is working to increase age classes of deer low fence and high.

Antler inflation isn't because of high fences. Antler inflation isn't because of breeders. Antler inflation is caused by the hunting population in the US having 30 more years of experience, and being just a little bit wiser.

Congratulations to all of us. We are learning.

Let's stop being so angry with each other.

Why isn't Tx on the list

I understand that either B&C or P&Y...or both will not accept an application from a high fence killed buck. Am I right?

You are right.

I also know personally of a number of "book deer" killed on low fence that have not been submitted and will not be submitted. Many ranchers and hunters do not want the attention for many good reasons.

I won't say that high fence is bad, but if there were no, or very limited high fence in Texas, I bet Texas would be higher up on the list.

All people are getting out of this is where Texas is on the list???

I'm gonna bet you're wrong.

Amos,
I got what you're saying. Unfortunately this will turn into another dead-end, pointless HF/LF debate.

Besides, Texas cannot compete with those states because we do not have the ability to grow ag crops that will give deer the nutrition to grow that big.

Also, Texas has way too many small farms and ranches, with way too much hunting pressure for the deer to reach the level of maturity needed to reach their potential.

Finally, those mid-west and northern deer are just altogether larger than our deer that have to contend with drought and heat for the majority of the year.

Ooops...didn't mean to turn it into a High Fence/Low Fence fued. My bad....

I bet he's right... HFd acreage is out of the equation so less qualifying land with great mgmt and genetics means less can be submitted. Agree 100% though on knowledge leading to bigger deer though.

i don't know about the high fence thing I know guys who shoot book deer almost every year on low fence and just never submit them.

lol

I dunno, I've seen it first hand in my home area. Lots of big ranches sold and subdivided into smaller and smaller parcels. Some ranches as big as 7,000-10,000 acres are reduced to multiple ranches of several hundred acres. Where the whole ranch may have had 10 hunters before selling, now have many times that number of people hunting the same amount of land. Unless really good management practices are implemented I don't see bigger deer coming out of it.

I do agree that people are now more educated and knowledgeable. I can't really say that more people are practicing management though. JMHO.

Twenty five years ago I didn't know what B&C or P&Y was.

Texas will not be on that list due to lease hunting. Who in their right mind that is leasing is going to enter B&C bucks just to have their landowner go up on lease money or someone lease out from under them for more money. The states on the list have started to understand what Texans have been doing for deer management for the last 30 yrs really does work. They had big deer before but now they have more due to understanding age structure, ratios, increased nutrition, etc.

So you're thinking we are the control experiment for other states to follow? (wish some area would catch on when it comes to other deer species management)

Not as far as the WT deer program for the entire state of Texas but the management programs used by many individual ranches, managers and biologist is what got their attention.

Well, since I started it, might as well join in. What makes you think this does not happen in other states as well?

Well of course.. good private mgmt will trump statewide mgmt 99/100.

Traditionally, book deer in Texas Mainly came out of 4 counties

These 4 counties still produce a lot of low fence book deer.

For a lot of folks, having their name in the record book isn't important.

I wouldn't enter mine in Boone & Crockett if I got one

Knowledge and management have obviously played a role in increased B&C entries.

IMO mostly what accounts for the increase is the commercialization of hunting. Now that it's a "sport" it's a competition for everybody to get their name in the record book. In other words, ego feeding. Nobody talked "score" at all when I was a kid on up through my early 30s. Now nobody talks anything else. (To the point I'm kinda sick of it)

Which also explains the HF deer farming BTW....

I probably should clarify.

Estimated score is a nice and efficient way to describe a buck's size for talking purposes. No issues for me there at all.

What I have a problem with is when the value of a buck to the hunter is all wrapped up solely in its tape measurements. I have seen guys shoot a deer they were ecstatic with- then the tape comes out and it doesn't "score" what they thought and they suddenly are disappointed in a deer they were excited about 5 minutes earlier. That, my friends, is being too wrapped up in numbers instead of deer IMO.

Age is more of more importance to me than gross score.

I've killed a lot of 5 and 6 year old bucks, and a few that we're 7.

Hunting a mature buck is excitng

Antlers are a by product of age

If I shot a book deer I wouldn't submit it. I've killed several that make the Texas Big Game Awards but I've never submitted and never will.

First, I don't want my lease rates going up. Secondly, I don't want to deal with potential poaching.

Those people have always existed... what has changed in the 30 years I have been hunting is the transition from "wide" in the 80's to "net book" in the early 90's... to "Gross Score" today. Back in the day the Big Rack series and TTH were the only games in town to look at big deer.... now with the internet and all the hunting channels... people are just more aware of larger deer....

People are ACTUALLY KILLING MORE BIG DEER NOW... not HF hunts or game farm hunts... EVERYWHERE!