What are your goals??
 

At the beginning of each new deer season, what goals do you set forth?

Mine, I am in between a meat and trophy hunter. My wife won't eat it but if she did, I would have a hard time passing a legal deer just for freezer reasons.

So, when season starts, I like to take a big fat doe. Then, I sit back and wait for a buck thatI like. Thats only worked out a couple of times but that is my goal each year.

What are yours?

i'm in between as well even though i've only been hunting for going on 5yrs. i'm not really a trophy hunter. the only 2 bucks i ever killed were a 5pt. & a 6pt. and the rest have been does. yes my goal is to always try and get a bigger buck than the previous one i'm now starting to let the smaller younger ones walk. if i seen a big rack 6pt. i might take it if i feel that i would be happy with that. if i don't get a buck at all that's ok by me because i'm happy taking a nice doe. this year and passed on lots of smaller 6pt. or less bucks(rack size was same as my first 6pt.) without question or regrets. i blew my chance at a huge bodied 9pt. this year(my fault because i broke one of my rules of hunting like a dumb***)but that's ok because i'm happy with the 3 doe i got this year. i guess what i'm saying is that i don't need to have that trophy - but it sure would be nice!:party0005:

That's pretty close to how I approach it. I haven't taken a doe in quite a while, though, I supplement my buck meat with hogs when I can....and honestly, we have so many of those damn things running loose that I'd be up to my eyeballs in pork if I shot them all the time.

I have alot of goals concerning infrastructre, set up, scouting, etc. ALOT of stuff to do to get ready for next season that will make my other goals possible.

I wonder how many people track a deer while scouting (or off a trail cam) and make him a goal? I know I did and I only caught a bare glimpse of my quarry one evening(live) but he never gave me a shot.

My goals are the same every year. Have a great time, take a few friends out get a few deer and spend as much time outside as I can.

I'm concentrating on my kids this year. My 11 year old son has been promised access to some prime land to harvest his first rifle buck, and I'm gonna try real hard to get my 15 year old daughter in bow range of a shooter this year.

My family are venison and elk fanatics...so It's meat hunting for me, and if I get a trophy, that's always a bonus!

Best of Luck,
Jeff

My goals as an outfitter are to 1st make sure everyone else on the lease has what they need, 2nd to put them in the best position possible to get a trophy, and 3rd to try and kill enough does to meet my management goals.
Personally if I have any time left and I've killed enough does, I like to take a legal buck. I have passed on bigger bucks in the hopes that others will see and take them.

my main goal is to recover ever deer i shoot at, not finding a deer you hit is the worst feeling.

My goal is to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet I feel up in my stand. The opportunity (on the land we hunt) for a huge buck is there so I stay alert. I don't like to set a goal on getting a record book buck because now I've turned my hunt into a quest (more like work) and that's not what it's about for me.

When I first started hunting my goal was to shoot a larger buck than the one I shot the year before, now-a-days my only real goal is to shoot a mature deer.

My goals are the same as they were last year to kill 3 deer, one each with a bow (either sex), rifle (bucks only gun season) and muzzleloader (either sex) and have a good time doing it.

My goal is this put at least 4 in the freezer min the I go for a rack. I am a meat hunter we cnsume about 7 deer a year, but 4 gets us through. I hunt does in the western part of the state of TN. Doe limit is 3 a day.

Goals: Meat in the freezer. Clean kills.

I like to have 2-3 deer. That seems to be the right amount for our family plus the small amount I share with others. I just killed #3 yesterday afternoon so I'm calling it done for the season.

My goals are to work on habitat. I'm planting trees, clearing for food plots, and making more browse.

I'm 27 and I have some family land in Ohio that will be passed on to me. I have a two year old daughter and someday some more kids, so I am making that property better for deer for them. Then when they are old enough to go out to hunt they could enjoy it with me.

How cool would it be to say to them, "Daddy planted those trees when you was a baby".

I want to start planting some apple trees, pine trees, hardwoods, and just make the property better for the future.

And yes. Bow kill a doe, Muzzy a doe, and take a buck.

My goal is always the same. Continue to enjoy the experience of the anticipation and excitement of the upcoming season. Comrauderie has always been the corner stone of our hunting season.

Sure, we all want to shoot a deer and hopefully a big, old, mature buck that will take your breath away. But getting together with family and friends, especially with my two grandsons is more important than anything. Just watching them grow as hunters these past few years puts a smile on all our faces. They are the ones who will pass the torch as the years go by.

I just purchased my own hunting land and would like to take a deer and a turkey from it.

My goal is to spend time in the woods, spend quality time with friends and family who are hunting at the same time, and put a little meat in the freezer. Don't want to push it any further than that because, in my opinion, once I reach the point where I am getting upset and frustrated despite achieving one or more of those goals, then I am better off at home watching TV.

To see plenty of deer and let 2.5 and 3.5 year old bucks live.

My goals pretty much revolve around taking mature animals, so I don't spend a lot of time on much else. Fortunately I have been able to fill the freezer mostly just doing that, but I will harvest a few does or a cow elk from time to time as the freezer/wife dictates. We eat plenty of it.

To spend quality time with my friends and hunting dogs while enjoying the outdoors. My ultimate goal is to make good memories I will cherish forever. I do like to have more buck kills yearly than any of my friends and brother too...

My goal every season is to hunt mature bucks and concentrate on tagging a 150+ class buck. With my kids hunting these days, I don't really een havea reason to kill any Does for myself... te kids will tag several. Also, I want to do everything I can to see that my 3 kids get the maximum enjoyment out of the sport. I want to get them on deer consistently and allow them the chance to look over a fair number of animals and learn how to read their body language and to size them up and make their best etimates at aging different deer. I want them to be able to enjoy every aspect of the sport and to realize there is a LOT more to it than just the kill.

my number one goal is to just have fun. but besides that... im a hardcore videoer. if i cant get it on tape i dont want to take the shot. my overall goal for my hunting life is to have my videos take me someplace weather it be becoming a product designer or a full blown professional hunter i mean the chances are slim to none but its what i want to do.

1. Scouting and learning the deer movements--as much as anything just to be outside and maybe shoot a squirrel or two (I scout with a .22 in hand).

2. Meat for the freezer. A decent doe that shows herself is going down. I look at the early muzzleloader season as another doe season.

3. A buck with at least a small rack. That'll be a little bigger than what I've taken up to this point.

my goal this year was a 150" or bigger with my bow. I did shoot one but just grazed his underbelly, but still had fun

Well I am not really a meat hunter because all we really do is make sticks out of ours and take them with when we go hunting. I don't consider myself a trophy hunter either. I am not able to get out and hunt all that often so it makes it hard to pass up a decent buck. This past season my goals were to take a doe near my grandparents farm. The deer around there are tearing up everything and my grandpa wanted a couple out of there so 2 of us got a couple doe opening morning. My other goal was to shoot a decent buck. I didn't get a buck the season before but the 2 before that I got a couple nice ones. I passed on a couple fairly nice bucks the first day out and the next morning I got a really nice 5x5. I was pretty happy with the way the season went. I had a fun time and got a nice deer, can't ask for much more than that.

This next season I hope to get a deer with my bow. I recently purchased one and haven't even been able to shoot it because of the weather. I am going to take the Bow Hunter safety course soon and get out and start practicing. I hope to spend quite a bit of time hunting this next fall. We will see what happens I guess.