What is your deer hunting philosphy when it comes down to it?

I am just curious what everyone's mindset/philosophy is when they enter the woods during the archery season. Do you holdout for a big buck? Do you only hunt for meat? Do you take does? What about small racked bucks? Do your standards for size decrease as the season gets closer to closing? Do you mind not filling your tag if it means passing on something small? I have been struggling with this for years. We hunt on private land in Dodge Co. and have been on the same tract of land for 43 years. It is just over 350 acres and it has everything...marsh, hardwoods, food plots, etc. My uncle shoots anything because he literally loves the meat and goes through about 3 deer a year. He eats it everyday. My dad isn't picky either. I have been holding out for a nice buck, but have come up empty the last 3 years with the bow. I usually get at least one with the gun. I got sick of always turning down easy shots so this year I took a small 6. I was happy I made a good shot (right through the heart), but honestly, the small racked buck really didn't do much for me. So, there is my conflicting situation that I ponder every year. How do you folks decide what to and what not to shoot?

Great topic. I'm a meat hunter and used to be a brown it's down guy. Last year was my first year bow hunting so right off the bat I took a young doe and was very pleased that same year I took a 3 pointer. This year I decided to get a l Bit more picky and wait for a mature doe to take out and wait for a decent buck. I had more fun practiceing self restraint and passed on 7 different deer, I had one small buck directly under my climber I was in, what a rush watching him and hopefully not getting busted. I then seen a mature doe. Feeding 50 yards from me and was slowly walking to me. As I stood up the grip on the bottom. Of my boot caught on to the aluminum mesh bottom and made a giant PING sound that echoed, ssurprisingly it didn't bother her. She moved in to 15 yards, I drew back took aim and let ER go. I excitedly watched the arrow go.... Right over her back!!! Clean miss . I sat in the same area 4 more times and didn't see a deer each sit. So, the last time I was able to make it out I changed my hunting area to the marsh. I found a small bush and took a seat next to it. 2 hours into the Hunt I seen a buck and doe come running through with the doe bleating as she ran. I tried to call the buck back but didn't have any luck. I gathered my nerves a d sat quietly and upset because I thought they were the only deer I would see. 2 more hours go buy and I catch a glimps of movement to my left a goods ways oout.A DEER! I thought excitedly, as it proceeded closer I looked and seen horns! A BUCK!! again I said to my self. He trotted towards me and I hooked up my release and drew back. I got him to stop at 30 yards, he was a 6 pointer and was the biggest buck I would shoot with my bow, so I settled the pin right behind the front shoulder. Squeezed the trigger, and fung, WHACK! Mu arrow disappeared as it penetrated through his lungs and heart. I sat there shakeing, mind racing, and blurry eyed from all the adrenaline.i listened as he fleed and heard the tell tail crash of him 30 yards away. I found him, and was beyond excited he wasn't the mature deer I wanted but he was the biggest buck I gotten yet and filled the freezer!

the Dude, I read your post and can't believe how much is sounds like my thoughts as well. My dad tells me constantly that I have been missing out on too much fun by constantly passing up does and small bucks. Like I said in my original post, I took a small 6 but I can't say that it was extremely fulfilling to me. I wish you the best of luck if you hunt late season and I hope you find that balance between success and enjoyment of the sport.

I have read everyone's comments and I find them all to be very interesting. I should probably add a bit more to my "conflict". On our land, the wild goose trail intersects our property right down the middle leaving an east and west portion to hunt. I haven't been able to tell if the trail has been a hindrance in that it spooks deer away or a benefit to where the deer get used to the noise of people. My uncle has fibra myalgia pretty bad so he uses his van to park fairly close to where he is going to hunt. The van has a pretty loud muffler on it so I think the deer, after the second week or so, know they are being hunted and become more nocturnal. I don't blame him for not taking a long stealthy walk to his stand because of his health. He also hunts probably 85% of the nights in the archery season. It's just the way his work schedule works out. My dad, who is a smoker, is also not too shy about smoking in his treestands (actually all the stands out there are technically mine) which bugs me because I truly do believe it affects the deer's movement patterns. Since they are the elders and keepers of the land, I don't have a huge say in what they do and how they do it. It does frustrate me a bit because I do feel this land has very good potential for mature bucks...I just think it gets buggered up by a lack of attention to detail. These things also add to some of my conflict on whether to wait or shoot something smaller.

When I was young and did a lot a lot of bow hunting, I TROPHY HUNTED, size was more important, when the son was born, no more time to concentrate on size, just time in tree. I love venison and making our own brats, sausage, etc. was a family tradition. I haven't bow hunted if 15 yrs (shoulder) and I haven't shot a deer for two. BUT I still make sausage, brats. sticks, rings, etc for everybody. It's the new hobby, butchered 11 for friends and son's inlaws. As much fun as hunting with all the bull snit stories. When the brats are cooked in summer. it all comes back to the same old "different" ending. Still have the 86 ONIEDA EAGLE on the wall, ready to come down when I retire. LOVE THAT BOW.

I like to shoot a doe with the bow on opening weekend and am successful most years. Makes the wife happy to have some fresh venny in the freezer. After that I like to wait for a buck of decent size but will take a smaller one second season in the snow. I love to hunt second season better than the first. Love the snow and cold and it seems I am always alone out there. I will take another doe for gun because the one from bow is almost eaten up.

I have been rifle hunting since 1996 and I've killed my fair share of does and small bucks in that time with a few decent bucks along the way. I used to be a brown its down guy. Four years ago I started bowhunting and my goals changed. My first goal was to get a deer with the bow. That happened right away with a decent 6 pointer and my goal changed again. Now I want a nice big mature buck or a mature doe. I've connected on the doe part, but have yet to get my big buck yet with the bow. I've been close, but so far unsuccessful. Rifle season for me now is enjoying time with my family at Deer Camp. As a group we usually take several does and at least one nice buck per year. Everybody has really taken up my philosophy of passing on the small bucks and our big buck trail cam photos are off the hook this year, so I really feel like the group will do very well this year.

Good thread for a change... I've been bowhunting for nearly 40 years now and much has changed in that time. I started out as a teenager just happy for an opportunity at ANY deer. As my skill level and success increased, I began to target bucks only. Time passes and I now own property and have the time and resources to hunt more often. I truly love bowhunting and the time I spend in the field be it propagating food plots and shelter cover or actually sitting a favorite spot while hunting. Over time I have become more of a "trophy" hunter and by that I mean looking to take bucks that are at least 3-1/2 years old. This provides me a greater personal challenge and also gives me more time in the field. I love to eat venison but take no satisfaction in killing a small buck to put food on the table. I have not killed a deer for 3 years now and that is fine by me. I'm more about the challenge and the hunt itself. I have elk in the freezer that is nearly gone so if the kids or I do not kill during the gun season I will most likely take a doe during the late season. Studies have shown that hunters go thru "stages" in their hunting "careers" that tend to shift one from a harvest mode towards an experiential mode where the kill itself carries much less significance than it once did. I can certainly see that occurring in my case. I don't expect others to hunt for the same reasons I do but do experience frustration when I see first hand the lack of ethics and reverence for a truly great game animal displayed by by many so-called "hunters".

It all tastes great cant eat the horns! There nice to look at when you do get them kids and wife all love to eat it so I shoot it!

Renrut, That is a great response! No need to feel conflicted with your buck at all. You made a great shot and the deer will not be harvested in vain.

enjoy the moment and if you decide to pull back on any deer and your mark is found give thanks!

I prefer to shoot bigger bucks myself but could care less what others shoot with one exception. I don't allow anyone on my land to shoot a doe with fawns, regardless of the age or experience of the hunter. This year I my brother from Florida and a friend who has only hunted 1 day in his life will be hunting my land. They have been told to shoot any buck or yearling doe they see. I will probably hold out for a bigger buck and if my cameras are accurate, probably not shoot anything.

To add to mine, there is a lot to do in the fall too. A guy can get so hung up on shooting a deer that they miss out on all the other stuff. You can go grouse hunting and not worry about some guy giving you crap for shooting a small grouse, you don't have to pass a duck because it will look better next year. Plus you'll have action and shooting almost every time out. Other hunting doesn't quite have the same standards as deer these days. Sometimes I think a big part of the reason hunter recruitment is down is that the expectations have changed. Some guys handle it really well and get that people hunt for different reasons, others are very arrogant and if you ask me are a huge turn off for the sport. Didn't have that when I started hunting, its quite different now. Good thing I don't care, but can see if people do and get sick of it.

I think the sentiment of some of the last few posts about rethinking size limits on deer people will shoot has happened a lot all over Wis. I think at some point over the last 10 years a lot of hunters have held off shooting some smaller bucks and have probably done so for few years but gave up on it because of not seeing any results. Let's be honest, we buy a license because we want to shoot a deer, and I have the most respect for hunters who can go 3 or more years without shooting something especially a buck. But today our society judges us by success and that means getting a deer and a lot of people want to get a deer. If they didn't, they would not buy a license and just head to the woods with a camera. I honestly feel that if you can't control 2000 acres, which is about 3 square miles, what you personally do has little effect on the size of deer especially if not all of the neighbors are on the same page. It takes more than just age to grow a large buck. It takes genetics and the right feed with the right mineral content in the ground and not every area has the capability. I live in a county where baiting is illegal and that means no mineral either, which really hurt the size of the he bucks the last few years. All of this added up makes it difficult for guys to just keep passing up deer year after year.Even areas where QDM has been practiced for the last 20 years there should be a wall hanger behind every tree and that just doesn't happen, why is that.Don't get me wrong you do have to let some of the little ones go but there's just too much separate land and too many hunters for this state to ever have the type of hunting a lot of people expect.

Easy. Shoot what makes you happy and don't worry about what others are doing. Be prepared to deal with the fact you may not get one at all. The fact that you obviouly have regrets should be a good indication of what you really want, be prepared to put in the time. I'd like to shoot a nice buck with my bow, something I'd be proud to display and possibly get a mount of. I've shot one buck in the last 7 or 8 years, I can't recall. I should not have shot it but purchased a new bow and was excited to get a deer with. I'm not above shooting does for meat either but have been passing them for a number of years now due to the low numbers I see when hunting in my area. 3 years ago I had a 170 plus at 42 yards and didn't take the shot. A little far for me and I figured I get better shot offering. The neighbor harvested the same deer two days later. I think about that a lot, and practise, a lot... Take what you want and be happy wiht it. There's a lot more to hunting than inches of rack.

The Dude, I hear where you are coming from. I am in the same boat on time spent afield due to family and work obligations. My kids are growing and will be joining me in the field in a few years, so I will get out a bit more then. Despite this reducing my chances at the buck I want, I realize that shooting that buck a year or two early won't really satisfy me. It will also greatly reduce the chance I have at getting a quality buck in the future. I have set standards for myself, and regardless of how many days I have to hunt in a given year or how many days are left in a given season I refuse to lower my standards. To each their own, but my advice would be to stay the course and when you do get that mature buck it will be all the more rewarding. In the meantime, enjoy the hunt. I find it much more rewarding to pass immature bucks rather than shooting them. Bring back a cell phone picture. That's what I like to do.