This season was pretty unique for me, opening day, I chose not to take a shot at 3 bucks. 1st one was probably about a 140-150 10 pointer with the beginning of a drop tine, come in at 17 yards and work over a bush for about 19 minutes.(saw this buck again on the last day of bow season, haven't heard of any of the neighbors taking something like that, fingers crossed)

Then an hour later had a nice 130ish heavy 9 pointer and a 147 10 pointer come in with the 10 at 18 yards and the 9 at about 6 yards.

Drew back on both 10's, why I didn't take the shot? I still am not sure, two years ago, I harvested a nice 150ish main frame 10. I saw that buck coming and I instantly knew if he came close enough I would take the shot. These other 3 bucks...well, none of them made my heart race and my knees go weak, maybe because it was opening day, and I had been watching to many deer hunting shows over the summer I don't know.

There was a little remorse on my part when I got home, wondering why I didnt take a shot, but the following day the land owner made a nice shot on the 2nd 10 pointer (the reason I know it was a 147) and it was the biggest buck he has taken off his land (actually biggest period) and his first with a bow since 1996,after that there was no regrets.

Over the course of the season there were numerous chances withmultiple 2 1/2 year old bucks,(off the top of my head, maybe a dozen within 20 yards) none of them gave me the rush...

I had one buckraise my pulse, butbeing at the end of the day, and the uncertainty of making a good shot prevented my from taking a shot, no idea on a rough score, but it got my adrenaline going.

I did take a doe mid season, Itold myself if the doe crossed into theshooting lane I would take ashot, (I also wanted to see how the rage 3 blades would work, they work superbly btw, along with earning the right to shoot a buck next year, earn-a-buck is required in my hunting unit) as she kept coming closer and closer,I found myselfgetting more excited. When she finally cleared the treefor the shot, well, whyelse are you out in the woodsexcept for that moment. Everything leading up to that point is the cake, the harvesting of the deer is the frosting.

So, back to the original question? I think you need to hunt what makes the experience enjoyable to you. If youhavethat 5 pointer that you have at 16 yards and you can't think straight, take the shot. If that 19" 10 pointer makes you think about taking a shot, and you need to justify it, maybe it is best to let it go.

My hunting is not defined by what I bring home with me via dead animals. It is defined by what I bring home with me by way of memories. The sunlight shining through the trees on a cold november morning, the squirrel that stared at me from about a foot away in the tree trying to figure what I was, the chick-a-dee that landed on my hat, the deer that I watched that had no idea that I was there, to name a few off the top of my head. That is what keeps me coming back, if I had taken that shot opening day, I would have missed all of that, so, what is there to regret?