i know this is a personal thing...but im curious...not saying you guys will change my mind or anything...but just curious

ive killed 10 deer with a rifle. only 2 were small scrub bucks...rest were does. let 100s of does walk...seen tons of small bucks and even some decint ones i didnt get shots at..

this is my 2nd year as a bowhunter. 0 bowkills. hopefully i can get a doe or 2 under the belt this year..and hopefully a buck.

i just got in from scouting. i hunted this state game lands all my life and over the years the forest has changed and herd reduction took alot of does. last year i hunted the typical spots in bow season to find out that things have changed and so did the deer movements...huh..who woulda thought things change after almost 10 years now lol...

but i found 3 areas today and all 3 are screaming big buck territory. ive seen some absolute slugs on that gamelands when i was younger..in bow season...but i was fall turkey hunting i know the area still holds some slugs...probably more since antler restrictions, less deer, less hunters...and the fact that the spots are all roughly 2 miles from the truck...

my antler restictions are already 4pts to one side 1+ inches long...

ive always lived by "dont pass something the first day that youll be happy with the last day" and a nice basket rack 8pt would beat my basket rack 6pt....so it would most likely have to be my biggest deer unless it was a TINY 8pt..or 4pt half rack or something odd..

but these spots, plus the 1 good spot i have at home scream big buck territory.

in my shoes....would you wait?

when i say "big buck" i mean 100+" deer..16+" wide 8+pts...but ive seen deer up there that no doubt went 130+ years ago...my guess is they just moved to the next patch of thick nasty stuff...which, all 3 of the new areas have...

yes...a basket rack 8pt opening day, first light would make my day...just looking to see what you guys would do. never hunted these spots...could be crappy spots...but from what i know and seen today they are screaming big buck spots to me. atleast screaming good hunting and should be on deer in all of them...

you guys know...antlers are almost an addiction lol. we ALL want bigger and better racks with our tags on them....i know i cant kill the biggun by filling my tag with his son....but know that i can spend seasons not ever getting a shot at the biggun...i dont know

It would depend to me on how often I would be able to hunt. I know my muzzleloader standards have dropped DRASTICALLY from last year to this year due to the fact that I am at college away from home and will only have about 4 days to muzzleloader hunt. If you knew you were going to be able to spend some time out there then I probably would raise my standards, but no matter what you decide you REALLY have to ask YOURSELF what will you be happy with. Hope this helps you.

one thing i forgot to mention...wouldnt hold out for 130+...just maybe 100"+ a 2.5yo+...not a monster...but not a 1.5yo basket rack...still, a decint buck for these parts...

buckrogers...thats ONE thing that will be my deciding factor. im in a sticky situation as far as time goes. parents put a bid on a house and they accepted...now it needs inspected, paper work...blah blah etc...then the whole house needs painted(by us) and carpeting before we even move...but then theres packing, moving and unpacking and moving in...only moving to the next town[:-] but still a PIA....

i also goto college...go home most weekends...live here during the week...only 40 minutes from home...so i really do have to see how time goes...and see what happens with the whole house situation...i been having a good bit of time to scout...so i should beable to hunt MWF evenings and saturday all day....till you factor in the house situation...so we will see on that.

i dont know...it would help if i KNEW what the areas held...but i can only guess...and my guess is they hold a good number of deer and some good bucks should be found in all of them. i know at my good spot at home i got one running around that is 18+ wide...heard his rack makes his rear look tiny...plus a couple other decint 2.5yos. the new spots i found today just look so promising. heck...even the typical wind direction for the area is perfect...and even if it switches...i got 3 areas to hunt and multiple stand locations in each if needed...we will see...

i might not let the air out of the first buck that gives me a shot...i dont know..i gotta be in the situation...id really like to get my first buck with a bow under my belt...

You sound very much like me years ago, almost exactly. In my third bow season, I was still looking for my first kill. The second week of the season, I had a nice 16 or 17 inch 8 come through and I choked. The very next weekend I had a 14 or 15 inch wide 6 under my stand for the better part of a half hour. I couldn't do it. Had I not missed that 8, I would have smoked him as soon as he was in range. My advice, get a kill with your bow. With any luck, you can drill doe early and hold out and stick with your instincts for the buck you know is there from your scouting.

Hey, what the hell?

captn, you shoot what you want, period especially since it'll be your first and only buck with a bow. Mine was a 4 pt. A 4 pt I wouldn't shoot today but had I not taken a buck to date, a 4 pt I'd shoot again.

lol...see Rob...you know what im talkin about...the ones with a legal side and the other well....

not sure what i will do...i know whatever i shoot will make me super happy...im the kinda guy that has to be in the situation to make the call. most likely WONT raise my standards...but it'll haunt me when i let the air out of a basket rack 8pt and im sitting in one of my spots doe hunting and pig gives me 1000 shot opprotunitys...but...i would still be happy and have mine tagged... and make note of that spot for next year...hopefully the first one to gimme good shootin is a big ole bruiser...no decision making except what pin and where to put it

Despite really trying to get people passing on young bucks, I'm all for new guys shooting 1st one by.

But since you have doubts, go with your gut.

Kill what you want to kill.what me or anyone eles does should not influence what you do.I don't understand why so many people think that after killing a few deer we should all start letting everything but trophies walk.Isn't it about the hunt and the kill,why is a trophy 10pt held in so much higher regard than an 5year old doe.Yea i know,the antlers do get ur motor really running,but shouldn't we all still feel a certain amount of pride in the taking of a doe or smaller buck?Now if I was hunting in an area where I saw deer every time I went to the woods I might have a different outlook,but where I hunt it is a treat to see deer every other time or so I go hunting and sometimes it is a while between sittings.I do and will continue to let deer walk every year,but I won't be influenced by those who say we should let'm go and let'm grow.It is my choice what and when to shoot or not shoot and you should do the same.

You only have to make one person happy. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I've passed deer 4 or 5 tims only to decide some day..."You're going to die today". And you say it's all about the horns. For me it's not... it really isn't. Oh I pass up a lot of small buck because I want to see what shows up later or tomorrow or next week. I don't measure horns or mount deer anymore. I just hunt for me. It's suppose to be fun. If it's not, you're doing something wrong. Not wrong by my rules but wrong by your own. If someone says he isn't shooting anything less than Pope and Young he can't really complain about a bust season. He set his goals and didin't achieve them. It's not the hunting God's that did him in.. it was his own standards. Aim to succeed no matter the path you choose.

Right on DAVID!