You' re assuming everyone goes through the same " stages" . What you' re asking is really a psychological question that requires some self-analysis. Personally, I never had a stage where I wanted to kill any deer I saw. I did, at one time, take any legal buck I saw when I was young but I stopped that many years ago and started being patient and I have never regretted it. Ask yourself WHY do I want to kill any deer I see? Is it to prove something to someone else? Is it to prove something to myself? Is it because I like killing? What is it really? Getting to an honest answer to that question will help you make the decision you want to make when you have a deer in your sights. For me, I was taking any legal buck I saw back then because I felt pressure from my hunting buddies to be " succesful" . Now I dont care what they think because I know I' m a good, hardworking hunter...and they stopped giving me a hard time shortly after I got more mounts on my wall than they have
Good luck!