suffolkbowhunter

I leave the house hoping to take something, but ultimately make the decision in stand based on what i see and if a good shot is possible.

Bloodsaw

sometimes before i enter the woods i have my mind made up that i will take ANY legal deer, and sometimes i have a SE STANDARD for a deer, like say a 100 + ound doe ( i guess her weight of course ) or a 4 pt or better, or 6 point or better or whatever, then here are those times, in those certain spots that i have a more legit chance of an awsome buck, that i set higher standards, like no does and a buck thats at least 6 points and ear to ear width antlers ( 14 or so inch spread )


the MAIN thing that goes into my decision is what is in the freezer already and the area i am hunting ( high/low pressure, good/low quality deer overall )

bryant1

I follow club rules which are a buck with at least 2 points on 1 side. I don't care how big or small he is, if he's legal I shoot him without hesitation.

DocD

Great question, One I have thought about more than once,
But for me, I am Deer hunting, not deer looking, so for the last few years I have generally taken the first deer that comes along, (excepting fawns). I have some nice mounts and have been accused of being a "Head Hunter" but looking through my journal I can prove that to be false. another factor to consider is that a young doe is about as good eating as it gets, some of of those bigger bucks can get pretty strong. Doc

HuntingKS

For me, it varies. Early in the season, I'm looking for a wall hanger and won't make the decision until I see the deer. When I have two days or less, I'll look to take any mature deer.

uncle matt

Well #1 of course they have to be legal. #2 They must be carrying some meat on them. #3 Generally a nice doe is the first kill of the season.

And from there out bucks and does.......no fawns or buttons.

DeBauche11

If my heart begins to race and my legs drop out from under me, thats when i know its my time to shoot that deer.

nchawkeye

I know before I enter the woods...

We have 3 farms and kill 40-50 deer a year but believe it or not, I pass on a ton of deer each year...I have times that I am big buck hunting and times that I'm deer hunting...I've hunted over 40 years so I probably enjoy it more than most simply because I don't feel any pressure to kill anything...

Typically, I kill does in September, October and December...November is for bucks...But...I'll change my plans real quick if I'm in a tree and have a couple of bucks cruise by...Seems that some days are buck days, then I'll hold out...

WNYhunter

I always start the bow season looking for a big doe, but as nov. 1st rolls around the does get a free pass and my focus get to a nice buck. And always the last few days of each season i will take any legal buck but little spikes.

I had a great year a few years ago. I let a ton of deer walk and by the last week of shotgun season I had nothing. As I was in the stand, this deer came walking right at me. My first thought, nice doe, oh little spike oh, he has tines.... Turns out to be a little 4 point. This deer was only 30 yards from me when I first seen him, and I was happy to have him.

tschaef

at gun camp (only a week) I would get drummed out of camp if I let anything walk. Our gun season is only 2 weeks and most guys can only get the 1st week off so we shoot all we can and split everything evenly.
Keep in mind that we don't have overpopulation problems up here, its one tag/hunter and a draw to see if that deer can be a doe.
Archery I won't let a good opportunity walk because I'm new to it and only have a couple under my belt, and again the deer aren't plentifull.
So, I guess I'm "if its brown its down", but not because of lack of ethics or determination, I put in a lot of time and effort for my bag of venison.