RE: is the season a bust if you don't kill a buck?
No Way, Hunting season is only a bust, if you don't see any deer.
If a season was a bust because I didn't harvest a buck, I'd have about 20 "bust seasons".
I've already passed a large buck (for me) this year, and so I feel that my season has been great already. A buck o nthe pole will be the topper!