MOTOWNHONKEY, most hunters enjoy talking about hunting and sharing stories/experiences. Besides, right now here in Ohio it is gun season and I do not hunt with a gun. It has been almost a week since I have been out and these discussions are helping to provide my deer hunting "fix". If you don't enjoy reading them then you are missing out and I have no idea why you would bother visiting a bowhunting forum.

Now that is out of the way, wow there are some great posts on here and thanks everyone for taking the time to share your thoughts and insight. I see IL-Cornfed, Paul, Staightarrow and I share some similar thoughts. And Gryan I know what you mean by "other" trophies, your descriptions of some of the little things about hunting are excellent. Like I said at the beginning and others have as well, there is no right and wrong, we are all hunters but I do enjoy learning why others do things. BOWFANATIC explained fairly well the mindset of someone who hunts purely for the meat and I do understand a little better.

Now that is one of the statements that makes no sense to me. atlasman, I do not shoot the first thing that walks by but of course I am going to eat the venison of whatever I do shoot when the time comes. Do you actually think that guys who are selective DON'T eat the meat?

Bob in NH had a good point that atlasman is eluding to above. There is no doubt that some areas of the country do not have the same number of deer and or mature bucks as others. And yes if they are not there you can not kill them. I am very fortunate to have a good hunting spot where I see 1 or 2 mature bucks a year. I don't know of any place that has "plenty of them around" and I doubt it is easy anywhere. For example, in the woods I hunt my I have shot three 130+ class bucks and I put my son on one his first year of hunting this year to make it four in the last 12 years. Hunting this same property I have two good buddies who hunt with me, my dad who just quit going the last few years, my Dad's couple friends, and 2 or 3 other guys I don't know but run into them occasionally. Out of this group of 7 or 8 guys they have shot a total of 1 mature buck when bowhunting the exact same farm over the same time frame. These guys are all good hunters and kill deer each year but not everyone can shoot the mature bucks even when they are around.

I really would like to try and understand this comment a little more, it makes no sense to me but maybe that is another thread? My 11 yr. old son in 1 year of actual hunting and 2 years of sitting with me has seen several deer make scrapes, he has seen bucks chasing does, he has seen coyotes pass 20 yards from us while we were sitting on the ground, he has seen does bed down and then be made to stand to be scent checked by young bucks, he has been stomped and snorted at, and not to mention he shot a 140+ buck this year for his first deer ever. Now if we would have shot at the first deer to walk by then he would not have had any of the above experiences so I truly don't understand how being selective and enjoying the outdoors while waiting for a nice one is hurting our sport?