PA has "nice" bucks, not big ones, sorry. The company I work for has locations in Iowa and the bucks we drool over in PA they embarrassingly show and describe as "last day desperation" and "management" bucks.

I agree with S-10, there were plenty of "nice " (big, whatever) before AR/HR. I have yet to harvest (kill, whatever) a buck as big or bigger than any of the AR defined legal bucks that I did before AR/HR.

There is no doubt Iowa puts out some great bucks and PA doesn't come close to comparing, but there is a very simple reason as to why the disparity is so great.  That being Iowa has around 4 hunters per square mile and PA has closer to 20 per square mile.  Environmental factors will prevent PA from ever being a top giant buck producer, but if hunter density drastically decreased there is little doubt that PA would be putting out more B&C bucks. 
 
Also, don't think for a second that Iowa (or any other state for that matter) doesn't kill small (young) bucks.  40-50% of Iowa's antlered harvest is comprised of yearling bucks.  I think being from PA you're much more likely to only see the big deer killed in Iowa. 
 
 

Said to be a buck taken In Pa the same year they started Antler Restriction because we didn't have any good bucks. I don't know the hunter so cannot verify it . 
 

And then there are 8 points in other states.
 

In the Pa big game records book 1965-1969 there were are least two 8 points entered that I have a photo of. One was taken in Chester county and scored 141 and the other taken in 1953 and scored 159+.  The largest buck I have ever seen on the hoof was before AR/HR. Of course I must have been drunk because the PGC said they were all starving scrubs before they came to the rescue.  On a lighter note I just passed 35 hours on stand in 8 locations during prime time and have seen a spike, a 3 point, a 4 point, and a 5 point.  Must be I am going to see four jumbos tonight as the PGC says only half of the bucks are young. Can't wait.

Never needed the internet or antler restriction to see wall hangers killed (sorry) harvested in PA. Visits to local sporting stores revealed pictures of nice deer. Especially the stores and/or clubs running buck pools. I seem to recall being told by the educators from the PGC that, antlers were results of diet and the right minerals.. But, that was back in the day when the PGC concentrated on education and enforcement. Come to think of it; that's when local sporting stores existed too. Imagine that!!

If I wanted a big Iowa buck I would hunt Iowa. I just want to hunt my home state of PA and do not need to kill a trophy buck so I can strut my stuff. Apparently the PGC feels that 'all' PA. hunters have big egos who must fill their urge to kill (my bad) 'harvest' a heavy antlered whitetail.

I totally DIS-agree with BTDT's above post .
 
I am sure that the PGC knows that the majority of Pa buck hunters want to kill a buck ...period... a legal buck  ...
 
I know S-10 and Dars have killed big bucks before, but the average guy even back when there was "big" bucks hunted public lands ... Private property IMHO always draws the "trophy hunters"  and I just would LOVE to know how many of those trophy bucks  in the books) were killed on private, posted ground....
 
I know local guys that kill record book bucks for the past 4 years of working at the hardware and seen the bucks... they could care less about record books.. they just like the bragging rights of their trophy kills on their private, posted, food plotted, and patrolled grounds...
 
those kills mean nothing to me and I do little in the way of congratulations other than to say .. "nice deer".....
 
sorry I take what I can get on my SGL and state forests..
and besides I don't eat the antlers and would not want to put one in any record book....
 
in fact I doubt there would be 2 out of a hundred hunters (I know) that could tell you a single thing about any record book entries ... first, last, biggest, smallest .. NOTHING ...
 
heck I have never even seen one of the record books nor would I know where to go to see one ...   or even the difference between a 120 or a 180 score and have no desire to even know how to score... but to each his own ...........

here's an example of one of those Brockway "big bucks" for this year already ....
 
(Private Posted Property no permission given to others with food plots)
 
#1 food plot .. one of many , including ones in velvet....
 

 
#2 one dead buck  ...
 

Easy to tell the difference between a 120 and 180 Doc, If you see a 120 you will shake so hard you will drop the bow. If you see a 180 you will have another heart attack.  They don't eat nearly as well as a young doe either. That's the price you pay for hunting antlers.