RE: does killing a deer mean success?
I guess it just depends on your personal definition of success!
Some people like meat, some the trophy on the wall, and others like it both ways!
To some meat hunters, "game management," may mean absolutely nothing! And that is their legal right!
To others, they may not even want the meat, just the trophy! And that too is OK, as long as what's killed is eaten by someone!
Personally, I like both! But the older I get, I'd just as soon fill the freezer with does, and go for better bucks!