Here in Ohio we are allowed 1 buck a yr....There is no way I'm gonna shoot a little 1.5 old, 6 or 8 point and end my buck hunting for the season. I pass these deer up hoping that they will make it but knowing that alot of them won't. My best advice to people on how to kill good bucks is not to shoot little ones and end your season. This yr. I passed up about 8 small bucks and 2 that were in the 115-120 range. I don't live in a area where you don't see huge numbers of deer. in fact I feel lucky just to see a few each time I go.
As far as meat I am lucky to live in a area that allows extra antlerless tags and shoot 2 or 3 does for meat each yr. I'm also lucky enough to live in Ohio where we do have some nice deer. This is mainly due to the fact that you can only harvest one buck...It keeps guys from going out and shooting every little buck they see.