The first thing I can tell already is you are "different" than the rest of the group. You enjoy the experience and mystery of being in the deer woods at least as much as you do killing a deer. You wouldn't have picked up a bow if you didn't. That alone is going to advance your knowledge of deer beyond the average group member. You may not realize it, and they certainly don't, but it already has.

Your hunting group needs an education. Most hunters are completely unaware of the age of deer they kill. I would start by aging every deer killed on the property. When one of the guys kills a decent 6 pointer, the gang will gawk and talk about how they're sure that's the buck BillyBob missed two years ago. When they realize the deer's only 18 months old, it will be a real eye opener, provided you can even get them to understand deer aging methods. But by far the best thing you can do is lead by example. Be sure you gather detailed information about the bucks you see and especially those you pass up. When you can stand by the young buck they kill andsay "I passed that one up in October", here's a picture of him, they're going to realize you're at a different level as a deer hunter. By being selective, I'llwager the biggest, oldest deer killed on that property in the next 5 years, will be taken by you, probably during firearms season.

You will also be frustrated. The members of you're group are less into deer than you are. I would guess that no less than 1/3 of them fall asleep on stand on a regular basis, while you never do. Youslip quietly to and from your stand while they tromp oblivious to theirs. You stay put for the hunt while some of them wander around near their stand soon after daylight. And you are probably usually the last back to the cabin after the morning's hunt. Not always. Sometimes one of them oversleeps!

Be patient, he will come.Your group are deer shooters; you my friend, are a deer hunter. Enjoy it!