It went from a private/commercial operation to a hunting club situation. Pre club, the place was managed for big mature bucks. The big difference now is that the club has severely changed the age class of the deer. As I said in a thread here a year or so ago, the club came in and set a 4 pt on one side rule. The first year they killed about 25 deer that went 125+ gross plus another 40 bucks that met "club rules". Year two came around and Spoiler killed the highest scoring buck on the place at 120. Of course they killed another 50+ club rule bucks. I have no problem with the rule. The deer were legal per the club and that was fine. The problem came in when the memeber starting blaming me and a few others for not allowing them to kill the big bucks. Both years there were more bucks killed than does. And yet some members were fussing about the number of does killed.

It is plain and simple. If you want to kill big mature bucks, you have to let the deer reach at least 3.5 years of age. If you want to shoot rack bucks only, then the 4 pt rule is fine. You just can't have it both ways. And you dang sure can't kill 70 bucks and 40 does each year and blame the guys killing the does for the lack of big bucks.

It was simple ego and greed. That place was good for about 25 mature bucks per season if the members could control their fingers. They couldn't.