I think that there are cases to be made for each point. If a hunter is at an early stage in his career than any animal is and should be considered a trophy. If a hunter is out for meat then, likewise, any animal will do--although the hunter might better benefit from taking a mature doe if possible--which will usually be larger than a button buck. and if you can not distinguish between the two than accidentel shootings of buttons confused with a doe are bound to happen. I know I have accidentally shot them before (thinking they were a doe). However, I know some hunters where I grew up (WV) and still go back to hunt will take a small--SMALL--buck over a doe anytime--as a better trophy-and they may do this every year-and to my way of thinking they don't do this for any other reason than to prove they are successful whitetail buck hunters---Get your buck? Yeah, got my buck. (although he was a 4 inch spike). It really doesn't prove anything--the small bucks are usually the dumbest of all deer.--mature does are much smarter--although more plentiful. These are usually the same ones that complain about the quality of bucks they see--you can't shoot a big one if you shoot a little one first. and you can't always have big ones if you kill the majority of little ones. I'm just saying that a doe is every bit as good a "trophy" as a small buck--so (If you have a choice) why not let the small ones go and possibly get big--sorry--1 more point--It is awful hard to be a sincere trophy hunter when you know that everyone else in the area that you hunt would shoot the deer that you are passing on so IMHO group cooperation is the key.