Wildlife biologists define herd improvement. If you are interested, see my link to a textbook on the subject. Folks study such things and have careers in this field of study.
RAH my man, I believe that I go after large antlered deer because I like to get older animals. One can try to age a deer on the hoof but many times you are really kidding yourself/ourselves. If I see a deer that is at or outside the ears, 16", I know I've got at least a 2 year old animal (beam width is a better indicator of age by far then point count). In an area where the hunters are taking deer on 10 to 40 acre parcels, a 2 year old deer is what you hope for. Well, of course you hope for better and I have done better but you get the point.
There is no way to manage an animal for genetics when it is part of the commons. You can have 1.5 year old deer, that most people couldn't age, and they are a 6x6 which is legal to shoot under any government law. You could then have a 5.5 year deer that is a 3x3 and may or may not be able to be shot under some states laws. You should shoot the 5.5 and not the 1.5 if you want better genetics (in the given scenario) but this just can't be legislated. Even a hunter of good faith could be fooled if they are not seasoned and seasoning comes from TIF (Time In Field).
I think Michigan is starting to go in the right direction with many county's requiring that the deer must have 3 points on one side. This saves many of the 1.5 year class (except the best unfortunately) and also makes hunters look over an animal better before they shoot. Of course this is my opinion. Many people just want to point and shoot anything they see, I understand that position especially when people are not blessed with the hunting land some have.
