Do you make that decision before you enter the woods or do you decide later? Unless I meet up with a big old bruiser, I seem to always make the decision after I see that deer. My decision is usually based on how I feel at that moment. Do I want to kill that animal or let it walk? Of course there have been years when I let a doe or young buck walk only to have the season end without filling my tag. That's OK because I never regret the reason for letting that deer live.

For those that say: "If it's brown, it's down", then your mind is already made up. If you are more selective, what makes you decide to take the shot or not and when do you make that decision?

The largest part of my decisions are made in my garage.

I look in the freezers and check the supply of venison.

i'll 2nd that!

Matt, does that mean you will then shoot any deer? Fawns, button bucks, etc or will you wait for a legal adult deer?

I have yet to get a deer (After 2 seasons of hunting). I have seen quite a few in my stand. I will only shoot if I think I can hit it in the lungs. I let one walk at 60 yards because I was not comfortable with the distance.

well usually i will go and shoot the 2 biggest ones right off the bat...bucks or does dont matter unless its in the law in the area im in....this year i was in the contest so i was tryin to impress and ended up with just a doe ..lol...i let a 6 and a few others slide lookin fer a 10 point that i never ever saw..thinkin he didnt make it...but i know that 6 is still there and cant wait to see him again, as i let him go both rifle and bow season waitin on a non-existent 10 ...so my answer is, one time I was in a contest and let a few slide, but that is history.

im guessin bow or shot gun?

i always set out with an open mind, if given the appropriate shot opportunity, i ask myself "should i take this deer?" i never set out saying "i will shoot the first deer i see"

I don't hunt the "woods" I hunt the open prairie. We can see deer from 2-3 miles away. We size them up long before we do the stalk. Sometimes the stalk could take 1-1 1/2" hours so we make pretty well sure what the beast looks like before we go on that kind of adventure.

When I say to myself...........Wow, that's a shooter !