GR8,

Great post!!!
I came to realization a few years ago that I was a trophy hunter, i aspired to not just shoot that monster buck, but earn it. I watch many of smaller deer walk by everyday i hunt. In my youth i would have shoot those deer, now just years later i have learned to let them walk and grow. the other day i watched a 120' 8 point walk by. An hour later a 170 to 180 10 point came in on doe, I didnt get a shot with my bow, but i learned that deer was there. It gave me the motivation I needed to continue my quest for the season. I have passed up my fair of bucks and eat my fair share of tags, but the feeling you get when you see a shooter walk in is priceless, when my stomach flips i know its on.

I have shot my fair share of small bucks, and as my friend said once you 've shot a spike whats the point of taking another. Some might not agree but how will we ever have big bucks if everyone keeps shooting them when there young. Its a mentality issue!! If you want meat, shoot a doe!! just about every state would love to see doe kills go up. That small buck has potential.

I was dropping off a buck that my dad shot this weekend at the butcher and all the guys stood around it asking how it got so big, i told them as they were standing there with there fork horns, we let them grow!!! Now we see good deer almost every sit, the other morning i saw 9 bucks.

Sure the meat hunters argument is i shoot it for meat, but that meat hunter will show off a nice buck just as much as a trophy hunter will.

Im with GR8