Breechplug

How many of You go out on Opening Day and PASS on a-lot of Deer, Bucks and Does that were Gimmie Shots only to Wish You Saw them Later in the Season??
I Torture Myself Every Year, I Ocassionally take a Deer on Opning Day, but this Day is Mostly for My Wife, whatever goes by is Hers, I may but mostly let all the rest of the Deer go by if She Takes one, and even if I dont get one.
The Reality sets in, the Deer Dissapear....you Hunt all day in Freezing Cold, not to see a Deer, and even then if you see one you pass on it because it's too Early in the Season yet to take one.....you still have Pleanty of time.......Reality really starts to set in. Now you Pass on Lesser Bucks because You want the Big one, these are Bucks you'd take in a second during Late ML Season, you Pray for them to walk by as YOUR FREEZING!
Now no matter how Hard you Hunt the Deer have vanished and Now You want to take one of the one's you passed on many times befor.
I usually have at least 2 Adult Deer in the Freezer by this time but I could have had all that I need, but I just Love to Hunt and be out there....Im in that same Boat again right now, the Season will end a Week from Tomorrow, I still have 2 Doe Tags and My Buck Tag, then a Buck and a Doe Tag for Late ML Season......I say evey year that Next Year Im gonna shoot the first Big Doe and any Decent Buck I see, but I never do, I just like to Torture Myself.
I looked at the calendar today and said to Myself, STUPID ME, there's only 8 more Days left what the Heck were You Thinking, You should have Taken one of those Deer.... I can see why I wait on My Buck Tag because I want the Big One but for My Doe Tags, what was I thinking, and even some of the Bucks I Passed on would have sure looked Nice.....are you like this or do you shoot em when you see em?
I'd rather Hunt till the end just to Hunt and have Unfilled Tags knowing I Could Have if I did, then to Fill Em and Wounder What Could Have Been if that Big One Showed Himself.
(BP)

MountainDevil54

i passed on a buck the first day in NM this past September. I knew there were a good deal of bucks so i held out until the 3rd-4th day.

Big Z

I won't wait to fill archery or doe tags on anything. Which leaves me with my ML either sex tag to be picky with. Keeps things simple.

Breechplug

I have also realized that the Best Part of MLer Hunting for Me, is when you take a Deer you go Home and get to Clean Your MLer and think of the Days Hunt, I Enjoy So Much Cleaning My MLer, Admiring it for what it did and getting it ready for it's next Mission.
(BP)

pluckit

I could never stop myself from shooting the first deer that walks up. I've tried to let them walk by setting limits as to the size buck I would shoot. But I never fail to shoot the first deer I see. Spike, doe or fawn. I just can't help myself.

MountainDevil54

Im like that in Colorado. First thing i see that i have a tag for.... BOOM! I normally don't jack around waiting for a bigger deer.

Breechplug

We get a Buck Tag and a Either Sex Tag for Archery and Late ML Season, if I dont see a 140+ Class Buck During Archery Season that Tag goes Unfilled and I save it for Late ML Season, I NEVER Take a Doe during Archery Season as a Big Buck could be following Her. I Like Late Season as I see way More Deer then, even the Big Bucks that you NEVER see during your Gun Season are now out filling up on Food to restore all they lost during the Rut and are gearing up for the Long Cold Winter, there less Nocturnal and there's Less Hunters then, it's the perfect time to tag that one you've been after.
We also can use Any Tags we have left over from Gun Season for Our Late ML Season or Late Bow Season, so I can go into Late ML Season with still 2 Buck Tags and uo to 4 Doe tags. I just Never like to end the Season with No Buck Tag left because if I see that Buck I've been after all Season and I filled it with a Smaller, Lesser Buck Earlier than Im out of Luck on the one I really want, but if I filled it with a Good One then that's OK, and I may have another Buck Tag still left from Gun Season that still gives Me another shot at another Big Boy.
I like to Gamble, Lifes Too Short, and if I Dont Win I still Feel Good knowing I could have taken a Nice Buck but Passed and waited for the Bigger one........
(BP)

pluckit

I would like to add that usually when I see a deer coming my heart starts pounding so hard sometimes I think the deer will hear it. And I have a hard time catching my breath. It's usually not until I walk up on the deer laying on the ground that I realize that I can bundle it's feet together and carry it with one hand.

Breechplug

We Hunt with a Buddy like You, He Shoots the First Deer He see's, we often tell Him He was the Only Smart one in the Group, Only because He fills His Tags Early, then Sleeps in and Laughs at all of Us because were still Hunting and Freezing and seeing No Deer.....I think it's only because He's Lazy and cant take all the LONG COLD HUNTS, Ya Right!

pluckit

I have also noticed that the excitement before the shot is no greater for me based on the size of the deer. It certainly differs after the shot, but not before. And the main excitement is before the shot for me.