3 1/2 years or older for a buck and any doe 1 1/2 years or older. Most of the 3 1/2 year old bucks we take are over the 125 P & Y minimum but if I saw a heavy racked but that I didn't judge to make 125 I would probably take him.

My criteria when actually on the stand with only a few nervous seconds to make the decision are looking for a rack even with or outside the ears and mass that I can barely fit my fingers around. When I see a buck coming those are the first two things I look at and if he is wider than his ears and has good mass I decide right then and there to shoot and then I ignore the antlers until he has an arrow in him. If he meets the width and mass criteria I could care less how many points he has and never count them when I have made the decision to shoot. (until he is on the ground of course).