Hello, I'm new to this site, but have a few points I'd like to make.
First, there is no wrong way to do it, so longas it's legal, and I do realize that it has already been said more than once.
Second, the area/land you're hunting is probably different from everyone else in this forum. So the deer you're hunting are probably different as well. Different genetics and different nutrition have huge effects on these animals. A Kansas corn feed mature buck looks like he eats small malnutritioned West VA hill dwelling Bucks all day. So if you're hunting in some of these areas where the deer are smaller, you need to find out what kind of condition a mature buck is going to be in. However, it's pretty safe to say, that if you decide toshoot the little deer, go ahead. Just don't complain about there not being any big ones! It's like grass, if you scalp it as soon as the fragile blade begins and never stop butchering it, you'll never have a nice thick green yard. Let that grass growa little and in a few years... Nice!
But I tip my hat to GregH! He knows - go read his post in this thread dated, oh nevermind, I'll copy and paste:
GregH post - "I usually find just the opposite, you let them go and they usually end up being even bigger the following year.
I also find that the ones who complain about the trophy hunters are the ones that couldn't hunt their way out of their garage, even if the big door was open.[:-]
The usual comments from the people uncapable of killing a mature buck are, " Ya can't eat the horns", "My young small buck is more tender than your big ole buck" (BTW, so are young does) and (my favorite) " I'm getting back to the basics". Well, you never left the basics by continuing to shoot small bucks. Hunting mature bucks will really test your skills.
"
Get mad, jump up and down, but it's true. In my area there are some pretty good deer. No a whole lot of monsters, but nice bucks. These dearcan be a real challenge to hunt.They are the ones that you hear the stories about. The ones that are so elusive and have their skills toned. Had they been killed a few years prior, when they were young spikes - guess what - they wouldn't be there!
I'm also hearing a bunch of talk about killing does is better than killing small bucks and so on. Here is my rule, well its not mine, I've just heard it over the years and I think it holds true, especially in areas where the herd may not be abundant. Shooting does is a no - no. The reason is - if there were twenty does and twenty bucks on opening day and nineteen bucks were killed, you could still have twenty pregnant does (total population of 21 deer), with the hopes that each doe would produce one fawn, leaving us with a total of 41 total for next season. If instead, you were to decide to shoot does (which is what I'm hearing) and you switched the numbers, you would have twenty bucks, and one pregnant doe (total population is again 21). But next year, you'll only have 22 total deer and in most cases, still only one doe that is ready to breed! Sure hope nothing happens to her! You've got to let these animals breed and grow to have a healthy herd. Here's a radical idea - If you're really worried about letting a dear live and someone else shooting it, educate the dear. Make a noise, wait until they look at you and then show them what and where you are. If you spend enough time scouting and place your stands in the right area, you can have the same young deer keep coming back to your area. He's not a stupid buck, he's young and needs to be taught to trust his instincts. He's probably already smelled you, let him see you, he'll learn and he'll grow. Soon, he won't be making that mistake anymore. If he smells you at all, you won't see him.
If you're one of the people saying the things that GregH quoted, ask yourself this question "Is anyone else in this area harvesting mature healthy bucks?" If the answer is "no", well, sorry about your luck. If the answer is yes, then you need to look inward at yourself. Chances are, you've either not done your homework properly (camo, scent, scouting, stand placement, etc.) or you are being impatient. Most likely a little of both.
So, if you need the meat, take him. Nature has presented you with an opportunity that will be of great benefit. If you don't need the meat and want to help your own cause, let him go, teach him a lesson if you like. I think you'll find great pride in watching him go. You may be lucky enough to see him a few more times that season. But now you need to make the commitment to being a better hunter, and go find those big boys, the ones that give you that since of accomplishment when you get them. The ones that you know you can be proud of. And I'm not saying you shouldn't be proud of anything you get. But there is a difference. The mature buck is much harder to get than a young buck or a doe, so when you've passed the other deer for a few years and watched them grow and you've put in the time, the pay off will be worth it. And you'll know it.