RE: Do you REALLY care what a buck scores??
Yes it means everything. But not the final score, I call it the "wow factor". If it's a deer that I'll be proud of, when I see him on the hoof, I'll be proud of him when I put the final tape on him and send him to the taxidermy guy.
I'm not a meat hunter and I pass my share of smaller bucks. That;s my choice, it hasn't always been this way but it is now and has been for the last 3-4 years. I don't try to shape others into my view-point and I expect the same courtesy.