James,

I think it is all a person opinion or personal values. I do agree with you in that I have seen some of the same deer over and over again throughout the summer and there are alot of bucks that are 8 points that I will not shoot. We have managed our property for several years and I still love seeing the bucks from the stand, but unless he is matured (3.5+ years of age), I won't pull back and shoot. I know some folks say you can't eat the antlers, but we harvest does, bucks that need to be culled from the herd and mature bucks. This stategy seems to be working well and given time, I hope to get a 145 - 165 class buck with my bow. Good Luck!

The only time I have regretted shooting was after making a bad shot. Then I go over it again and again in my head thinking about what I would've, could've, should've done differently. Even if I find the deer and I am unhappy with the shot I made I labor over it. It doesn't happen often, but when it does it takes some of the fun out of it for me.

Same as Anthiny Hunter, I once shot what I thought was a doe, and it turned out to be a button buck. I regret that one.

I would only regret shooting if it was a poor shot, but I never regret taking an animal.

Well the only time I ever kind of regreted taking one was last year, I shot what I thought was a doe that turned out to be a small 4 point. He was some good eating and it was buck or doe, but due to the limbs around his head and his ears I thought it was a doe, if I had known it was a buck I would have let him walk. His vitals were a wide open shot and I took it, he went quickly so I had no regret in the hit, just that he was a young buck.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

I think the older you get,the more youll feel like that,at least thats how it is with me...

I regret only the bad shots.

I have seen yarded deer starved to death in Michigan and cougar or bear evicerated deer and elk in the Pacific Northwest.

I think hunters are these animals best chance for a merciful end.

As far as antlers . . . of course I'd like to take a rocking chair buck . . . BUT . . . I can't eat horns.

And not wasting a morsel is the best respect we can give to the animals we harvest.

Bowhunter

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I shot a very small fawn one year, filling some doe tags. Are group was looking to add some meat, towards the end of the season, and take some does we knew had to be thinned out.

I climbed into the stand, to find a deer bedded 40 yds out in some tall grass. I could see it well and knew it was antlerless, still I decided to wait a while to see if something else came along. When nothing did, I took the shot, and rolled it over in its bed. When I got over to it, I found it to be about a 50 lb fawn doe, I was very regretful, I'd passed up dozens of does during the year to end up taking a small one that literally presented no challenge. I vowed to take the does earlier in the season after that, when I could better evaluate the doe I was taking.

Just a tip, its hard to judge the size of a bedded deer.

I have had a very impressive 5pt, maybe 130 class and a 4pt come by me this year. Its tempting and my spouse ask me why I must be so choosey. I know that there are some nice class tropies where I am and its still early in the Montana season. I am not only in it for the meat, but I'm after the trophy. Good luck, Bobby