iamyourhuckleberry

I like what Sliverflicker said:

"My hunting is not defined by what I bring home with me via dead animals. It is defined by what I bring home with me by way of memories. The sunlight shining through the trees on a cold november morning, the squirrel that stared at me from about a foot away in the tree trying to figure what I was, the chick-a-dee that landed on my hat, the deer that I watched that had no idea that I was there, to name a few off the top of my head. That is what keeps me coming back, if I had taken that shot opening day, I would have missed all of that, so, what is there to regret?"

Every day is a new experience, and when I'm hunting, I am in controll of my own destiny. I guess that's why I like hunting so much. There are days when I just sit and watch and there are days when I'm more aggressive.I tend tohave more of the former than the latter. I take my camera with me on every hunt. I do so because much of the dynamics involved with operating a "manual" camera are the same as operating a bow (not all, but...). For me, every buck is shot but not every buck is killed-the same could be said for does. I strive for perfection. The closer I can get, the better... 24/7/365!

tsoc

Letting a buck walk that you would have shot in prior years is not as exciting or satisfying as actually taking that animal but it is close for me.Knowing that I could have killed it,knowing that I am contributing to the liklihood that either myself or someone else will take the animal when it is another year or two older is very satisfying.There are secondary benefits as well,watching bucks in close proximity without being the process and self imposed pressure to take the animal leads to be calmer at the moment of truth in future shot situations,it also allows me to study the animal really closely for general tendencies and tendencies specific to that animal.
As others have said you need to keep the enjoyment in it,and some may lose the sense of enjoyment in letting legal bucks walk.Personally I don't have to had to kill something to have enjoyed myself,I am constantly learning and taking things in,enjoying all of nature and the neat things that occur in it.I also have begun to carry a camera and I wish I would have begun that practice years ago!

pinetag

I grew up hunting with dogs in VA and there were many seasons where I saw very few deer so I would take a shot if it presented itself. In recent years I have taken up bow and muzzleloader hunting and after taking some decent bucks, I have started letting smaller bucks walk. It feels like an accomplishment letting them go because you know that you have beat them in their own element and you could have taken the shot but chose not to.I just enjoy watching deerso it's not all about getting a shot but of course if that monster is there then I will definitely be ready.