RE: How important is it to know....
Only reason I like to know is.....
If I see a particular deer on trail cam....I'm MUCH more apt to recognize him more quickly (i.e. identify him as a shooter or not) in a hunting situation. It would help take the guesswork out of it, for me. I saw bucks on trail cam I never saw while hunting, last year, and vice-versa.
I am targeting one specific buck this year.....but if I get him....it'll honestly be happenstance. I'm not gonna scout him.....or try to pattern him. I'm going after his girlfriends, this year.
It's cool when you recognize a buck from an earlier encounter...or from trail cam/scouting experiences. That's really the only reson mine is out (inventory). I hope to see a biggun that I've never seen before!