Do Hunters Effect Antler Genetics

[WRO]

I was making an example of confirmation bias.

You could reference the studies that show antler point restrictions don't do anything. "Cull breeders" aren't a thing.

States issue "management hunts" to increase opportunity.

Exhibit A : cull breeder.

9 year old Buck that’s never been anything but a fork.

How many mule deer have you been a part of? How many states? How much long term private mule deer management have you been a part of?

You obviously know Google, but do you have much real experience?

 

[S.Clancy]

Exhibit A : cull breeder.

9 year old Buck that’s never been anything but a fork.

How many mule deer have you been a part of? How many states? How much long term private mule deer management have you been a part of?

You obviously know Google, but do you have much real experience?

I know data and science.

Mule deer bucks, IDK, 50, prob more, I would have to sit down and count.

Here is the difference between your personal experience and actual data. Are you counting total number of deer every year and getting a reasonable population estimate? Are you doing seasonal habitat production estimates to get a sense of available nutrition? Transects for plant diversity and classifying all those as preferred forage? Are you aging every single deer? Etc, etc....

There are so many confounding variables that you are unlikely to control them all which makes any data you are observing (that also likely has personal bias from you) not statistically relevant.

You may be observing a genetic pattern where you are. I'm just saying there is no data, outside of anecdotal, that supports those claims.