Let me back up a bit.
@Gator isn't wrong. Neither is
@Jwiggins762. "When in Rome..."
Where wiggins and I hunt, the numbers say a deer will not hit maturity, and even if he does he will not be an impressive deer. Where
@Gator is hunting, the numbers may tell a different story. I guess my thoughts on it are, show me the deer you want to kill. Deer are not magic. If bucks are there, you will see them. Maybe in somebody else's pickup bed or dead on the side of the interstate, or grazing at the back of a cow pasture, or maybe on a trail camera. In my mind, one or two examples of what you're after doesn't cut it. Look at the harvest reports and record books. Look at the license sales. do the math.
I passed a 6 point last year that I would have killed 10 times over again in a different location. I did this because an afternoon of scouting led to me jumping 5 rack bucks in the area, and there were heavily enforced antler restrictions. I shot a much nicer 8 the next day, who met the antler requirements. I did not snub the 8 to wait for the 12, because he was about par for the course on that property.
I guess what I'm trying to say is know what's realistic. Most people that I hunt with in my area would do well to lower their expectations. Can any kid become president? Sure, I reckon. But I'm not holding my breath unless he went to an Ivy League school or won a war, and has family with political connections and some money.