I commend you and your hunting club for taking a positive step forward in your decision to cull inferior-antlered bucks from your herd. If this could become a common trend everywhere, general antler quality would probably improve.
I would caution you in expecting too much from such measures. Careful study of the most recent research on selective deer harvest methods suggests that improving antler quality is not nearly so simple as just removing "cull" bucks from the breeding pool. There are many other factors that make this only a marginally successful tool, at best. There are also some preliminary results from ongoing deer studies that suggest that poor antler quality in young deer is not necessarily carried through to adult antler quality, thus seeming to contradict the conventional wisdom of "once inferior antlers, always inferior antlers". The final results of these studies are still pending, but the results so far are intriguing.
I am not questioning your age figures, but I am wondering whether you used teeth examination as an aging method on these deer, and what specific teeth characteristics you used. There are some not-so-scientific methods floating around out there, and body size is certainly not a sound indicator of deer age. From the physical characteristics evident in the photos, I think it is possible these deer may have both been younger than your age figures indicate. Once again, I am not questioning your age figures, but rather trying to find out exactly how you got them.
Again, I think what your hunt club is doing is a great leap forward in understanding and in trying to positively influence the quality of the deer herd in general. I applaud your obviously thoughtful and patient approach. Good luck with the two trophies that still elude you - you guys deserve them all the more since you have already sacrificed in order to enjoy the fruits of your labors. :grin: