Have you done this?

[loneranger]

Yes maybe kick and regret are too strong. Whatever term you want to use,,I made a vow to myself I was going to let an age class pass and I didn't. Disappointed in myself. Lack of self control. Might be easier if I saw many older deer go by, as some do on their properties, or even more deer period,,go by. I hunted every day for two weeks, during prime rut, mornings and evenings and in between. Saw 8 deer. One doe. This in good farm and timber country. Deer pop diminishs every season. Either state push to reduce deer numbers has succeeded, or local farmers have done a number on them? Some farmers I have met brag about shooting every deer they see. But that is another Issue. I do enjoy the hunting, being out in wilds,talking to GOD,harvesting food. Just want to hold myself to higher standards, and HOLD OUT,for an older buck. There is always next season,,if GOD allows me to live another yr that is....

[SwampLife]

Story of my life.

Well either that or eating tag sandwiches.

[Patriot]

My short answer is no, I've never shot a deer that I did not intend to kill (meaning ground shrinkage is not a concern to me).  I also have never hunted with the intention to hold out for big bucks.
 
The gun hunters on my property essentially shoot whatever moves, so I take what I can get during bow season.
 
 

[cdn1]

"Regret" is a bad word to use for a hunter. If you regret killing the animal that you decided to take the shot at, then you shouldn't have shot.

I alway feel the sense of remorse or sadness for taking the life... for a minute or two but the comes the sense of celebration or greatfullness... for the food and experience that the life provided to my own life. (cornny maybe)

The times when I feel regret are when something goes wrong. Bad shot, lost deer etc..
I regret not having more time to hunt.
I never regret when I get to go and when everything works out right and the deer is lying at your feet.
Cdn1

[loneranger]

Well ,,that is the point. I wish I hadn't have shot it. There are not alot of deer in my area, but enough cover that some old guys survive every yr. It just takes patience, and alot of sitting and waiting. I had the opportunity to hunt another week. I have a wonderful advantage most every yr. I can hunt every day for two wks, probably 3. This reminds me of a test that was given to 3 yr olds. It was called the Marshmellow test. Kids were left in a room with one marshmellow on the table. They were told if they left it alone,,did not eat it, for 5 minutes, they would get 3 marshmellows. Few could resist, or wait. They followed the kids and the few that showed self control, at that young age, did better in school and life. My hunting is my marshmellow test. I am going to think of that story next season.

[cdn1]

Loneranger
Dont feel to upset about shooting a deer that didn't meet your miniumum requirements. Personal miniumums are man made. It's often times hard to apply man made goals to the natrual word. Hunting goes back to the dawn of mankind, it's hard to fight the "a bird in hand is beter than 2 in the bush" feeling.
personal goals are great things to have in everyday life and it's good to restrain our feelings of instant gratification. The sport of hunting is a tough gig! We wait all year for it and we only get a few days to accomplish the task we have set out to accomplish.
we brave the elements, have finacial constraints, family obligations etc... I'm not saying to shoot the first deer you see ...just don't regret it, celebrate it , you were able to participate and enjoy the harvest and that is IMHO just as great as killing the big one.
Cdn1

[JPH]

ORIGINAL: cdn1

Loneranger
Dont feel to upset about shooting a deer that didn't meet your miniumum requirements. Personal miniumums are man made. It's often times hard to apply man made goals to the natrual word. Hunting goes back to the dawn of mankind, it's hard to fight the "a bird in hand is beter than 2 in the bush" feeling.
personal goals are great things to have in everyday life and it's good to restrain our feelings of instant gratification. The sport of hunting is a tough gig! We wait all year for it and we only get a few days to accomplish the task we have set out to accomplish.
we brave the elements, have finacial constraints, family obligations etc... I'm not saying to shoot the first deer you see ...just don't regret it, celebrate it , you were able to participate and enjoy the harvest and that is IMHO just as great as killing the big one.
Cdn1

X2!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nromn]

Loneranger,
 
The last 3 years I have done just the opposite and have come away with nothing. You see, I have never shot a buck 3 years or older, so that has been my goal. Well the last two years before this one I spent 4-6 days (not very much by comparison to others on this board Im sure) days out all day every day, spent all the time preparing, all the money on equipment and taken vacation days that I could have used to spend time with my wife with the goal of harvesting my first mature buck. This year I spent 9 days straight of being out an hour before legal shooting hours and packing up my ladder stand and heading back after legal shooting hours, without a break (besides a couple hours on 2 days, one was a downpour with no action and one was a blizzard with no action). 
 
So I stuck to my standards the last 3 years and passed up many young bucks and haven't harvested a deer. I did learn a lot about deer and I really appreciate the experience. Just being in nature and learning is what its all about for me. And we don't really need the meat and it didn't create a financial hardship in anyway(we don't have kids yet).
 
At the same time, I do feel some guilt for spending so much time and resources and coming away with nothing tangible to show for it. I also hunt public land exclusively so harvesting a mature buck consistently is an unrealistic expectation. I also know that passing on young bucks does absolutely no good on public land because if I pass it up, it will almost assuredly get shot by another hunter.
 
So I have remorse for a different reason. Because I look back and sometimes wish that I had filled my tag opening morning and not spent the next 8 days on "fruitless" hunting.
 
So it goes both ways. If you had spent 2-3 weeks and not gotten your big boy, you probably would have been in the same shoes as me. The grass is always greener...
 
 

[loneranger]

I understand nromn, I spent 20 yrs hunting on heavily hunted Nat Forest land. The DNR told me that after the first 3 days of rifle season every yr, 75 to 80% of all bucks were harvested! If you saw a yearling anytime of the season you were excited. My friends tell me it is even worse there now. Up there you had better take what you see. I have been there. I now live where it is better. I have some of my own land, not alot but some. Not enough for the deer to stay on, so I still compete with the neighbors, but I know that a few bucks make it to 4 or 5. If it were not for the meat,,I might not take any deer. Possibly just photograph them. A photo of a big buck is a trophy too. I am searching out some farmers where the deer are more plentiful, so next yr I can take a doe there for meat. Got to say I LOVE the meat. Hours spent in nature not wasted though. Talk alot with your creator, examine yourself and life, observe what goes on out there. There is a limit I guess,,to too much time spent. I think three wks is mine. There are other areas in my state where guys see way more deer than the 8 I saw in two wks, so for this state I hunt a rather sparse area. Don't know why either?

[nromn]

I hear you about the time in nature. I also wouldn't shoot a deer if it wasn't for the meat, I would probably just observe/photograph also. And like I said, I do enjoy the time out there in the woods thinking about life, being a part of nature, etc. But at the same time, do I need 9 days of it, when there are the ever-constant other things in life that could be attended to? Its a tough one. This year I decided I would take a younger deer to have something tangible to show for all the time I spent if I didn't get an older one by saturday, but of course, after seeing about 7-10 young bucks the first 7 days, I didn't see a one the last 2 days. Thats life though.