I finally got this concept through my head this year. I have taken many nice bucks over the years but nothing that has touched the booney chart yet. I saw many good bucks again this year but i find that i have spoiled myself on the borderline bucks and am mature enough now to let them walk. I do not need the meat therefore i have no problem eating my tag which is what i ended up with this year. I actually feel good that i did not shoot anything because of a few of those bucks i left will be pushin shooters in the next few years if they stick around. But it is each to their own to make that decision. However for me some of the feeling has gone from when i was a younger hunter.

I think its the natural growth of a sportsman. First is to take a legal animal, then to tag out,then get a trophy, then beat the last one. I have started handgun hunting to keep it challenging. Its like bowhunting, but after they've already been shot at for weeks.

Wallhanger or tag soup during bowseason without a doubt.

Gun season my expectations lower slightly. I'll take a good buck that I won't neccesarily get mounted.I don't see any good bucks after the first 2 days. I hunt a totally different piece of land than my bowhunting land that we manage. I don't know how much sense it makes but its what I do [8D]

99.9 percent of the time I shoot does. To me the meat is much better and there are far to many does where I hunt. Many hunters won't shoot the doe thus adding to the problem. I never mount any heads as the wife does not like dead animals in the house. I would rather watch the big bucks than kill them. JMO.

I really like to have 2 deer in the freezer by the time the season is over. I'd certainly prefer it to be 2 B&C wall hangers but I'm o.k.with a couple 18 month olds if that's what it comes down to. I like the meat too much to pass. Now given our current low population of deer, as far as choosing between a young buck or doe though I'll choose the buck and hope the doe goes on to produce healthy bucks and does each spring replacing the young bucks I might shoot and then some. When the population get's back up I'd choose the doe overa youngbuck.

In gun season here in NY, many times there is no choice between buck and doe. If you didn't draw a dmp thenit's either take a buck or nothing so again, I'd of course prefer the B&C but if it comes down to a fork horn or nothing I'll drop the fork horn.

THis year I managed to take a beauty of a 9 point with the bow after passing several doe and smaller buck. In gun seasonit wasbuck only for me (no dmp). I probably would have passed a small buck the first couple days but I didn't see a horn. Dropped an 18 month old 6 point yesterday afternoon. That's my 2 deer. Had a great season and I'll enjoy the meat and the mount.

Deer are scarce where I hunt so I have to take what I can get essentually. I have no problem with it because I'm really only meat hunting anyway. If I happen to see a monster then even better. If I had access to land where I was able to see 50 deer a day I'm sure I'd take the same aproach as you guys. Now I'm lucky to see 3 deer a day and sometimes go several days in a row w/out seeing any.

Nowadays there seems to be more trophy hunters than meat hunters. Fine by me as long as they're taking their kids w/them.

I feel the same way. If I need meat I'll shoot some does. Otherwise, I usually hold out for a nice buck. I'll have 15 mounts when my gun buck is done, still trying for a bow buck.

I'd agree with this but I'd add at least one level. I think after going through what you've mentioned here you come to a point where what you take isn't that important anymore. Sure it's always nice to nail a wall hanger, I can't imagine ever not getting excited about that prospect.But for me anyway, it's no longer very important. If I get a few moremounters then fine but at 55 if I am to finish out however many more years I have hunting taking onlydoe and small buck then that's fine too. It's thebeing there that's what's most important to me. Being there and bringing home a deer now and then so I can enjoy some jerky and steaksthat willpacify me until the next season.

Good posts! If that is the way you feel about it in your heart, that IS what you should follow! If it is strictly an either-or issue, then I'd have to say I am a meat hunter!
Where I hunt the doe season is fairly short, so I basically have to take a doe or two for meat, then be selective with the bucks. If I had my druthers, I'd leave the does as "bait" for the bucks, then take them later. But that is not really feasible right now, unless I am willing to take the chance of no venison!

Hopefully, next season, I'll be in a new area, that has a different management concept, but in reality, a legal deer is what its all about!
Because, if it were only up to "trophy hunters" to keep hunting alive, it would be far to expensive for most of us to hunt! Public, and cheaper hunting, could not survive financially with only trophy hunters support!

I'm kind of at a "beat the last one" stage. My son has started hunting with me now, so he's pretty much in charge of filling the freezer with doe-steaks. The guys at our lease have pretty much decided that we're not seeing enough "mature" bucks this year, so my son will probably get a buck this year if one suitable for "culling" wanders by, i.e. odd rack that they want out of the herd. I probably won't shoot anything this year, as I've already got a bigger rack on the wall than anything I've seen at our current lease in three years.