Hunting is about more than shooting a deer. I get just as fired up about scouting and putting up stands in the summer as I do about releasing an arrow. I was indoctrinated in hunting methods by my father, who believed in letting does and little bucks walk. I've only been bow hunting for 3 years (gun hunting for 20). In my three years of bow hunting, I let dozens of little bucks walk and did not kill a mature buck bowhunting until this year-- a 163" trophy. So while this year was a great success, I wouldn't classify the previous 2 years as failures. If you're only in it to put a deer on the ground, I think you're missing out on the greater experience.