When the Boone and Crockett Club was formed, the record book measurement system was put in place for the sole purpose of measuring the return of the population. It was never intended to be a bragging right. With that said, a 170 inch whitetail buck was considered a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. That deer would indicate the return of the health of the population. Look at how many B&C 170 inch deer are taken now. The population has most definitely recovered. The same is true of many big game populations. Competition for habitat remains the biggest challenge to wildlife populations. Animal predators do not choose the young or the sick. They choose the animal they can kill with the least effort. If the first animal they can kill easily is a 370 inch bull elk, that is the one they take.
