It doesn't happen too often but I've eaten a few tags over the years. I try to research and scout super hard which usually pays off. It's always nice to have a #1, 2, and 3rd+ choices available in case one doesn't work out. I usually go into every hunt with a game plan and often set standards according to what I've seen in past years, seen while scouting, etc.
A lot can happen once a season opens. Other hunters pushing bucks and bulls out of an area, horrible weather conditions. full moon, crunchy snow, no rut activity...you name it...anything can happen!
My preference is to keep my standards high. If I sip tag soup at the end I know I did everything possible for success.
I know a lot of guys wait years and years to draw high demand tags. Some guys panic and shoot the first decent buck, bull, ram, billy, etc they see. It happens to the best of us but if you look at a rack or mount after the fact and aren't excited you may have been better off waiting.
Obviously, as the saying goes, "you can't eat antlers and horns" but they sure are exciting to look at! If you toss a rack into a pile of other antlers and the buck isn't something special you may want to re-think why you hunt. It's also awesome to savor the meat from that special animal you harvest. There's nothing like fresh-wild game meat!
