RE: How important is it to know....
To tell you the truth, I have no idea what deer are in the area I hunt. Except for the sheds I find in the spring or the few I get on the trail cams in the summer. I hunt an area that's over 150 sq miles and its impossible to know exactly what bucks are there. Though I do know that there are quite a few that meet my 140" minimum, but not exactly what they are.
My standards stay the same all season, no matter what I'm seeing.