Imagine getting off work on a Friday, you head home and start getting your gear ready for a Saturday morning hunt. The weather/temperature is gonna be just right. It's a cold fall morning, the wind is perfect. There's a gut feeling that this hunt is going to be great, even EPIC as the kids say because you scouted your private hunting land or public ground, you've got great trail-cam pictures, and made great sets. As a couple hours go by, the sunrise is gorgeous, the frost is shiny, and the air is crisp. All of a sudden... out of the corner of your eye you spot one of the deer you have on camera, he's a decent full body buck who has a great typical 8pt rack. Of course the only thing on your mind is, "Do I shoot or not?"

Now a lot of you may wonder: "Well if it's that good of a buck... Why not shoot?"

Well for some it depends on a lot of aspects, like age of the deer, the mass, or whether or not the spread is big enough, or my personal favorite "Is it 150in. or above?" Even Social media has an impact on whether or not you shoot too. Yes....I know it's crazy to think that "My fellow Hunters" would not shoot a good buck or doe due to Social Media. Now before you say "I'd never let social media decide whether to shoot a deer or not"... think about this. Look how mainstream hunting has become, everyone wants a piece of the pie. From T-shirt designs, hats, koozies, energy supplements, I mean it's endless. I see so many advertisements on Facebook and Instagram. Wear this, drink that, shoot this bow, use this broad head and arrow. So I can see why a hunter may not want to shoot that buck or doe, and they ask themselves, "Is it good enough for Social Media?"

Now I'm not taking jabs at the ones who've taken Hunting and the Outdoors and turned it into a passion to pass along to today's youth. That's great and it's awesome, I'm talking about the ones who take things to the extreme... The ones who (for me) ruin it.

We all know that guy or gal who's an expert in hunting, they always say "I never take a deer younger than 4" or "Let em go so they can grow" or "I only shoot Boone and Crockets" or "If you want meat shoot a doe" and of course we've all seen the Hunting shows that has the host shooting a 175" B&C Buck, and I've even heard those people say "Let em go so they can Grow" and they have their phones posting pictures of their Harvest on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or which ever Social media outlet there is, and their cramming certain bows and broad heads down you're throat because let's face it HOYT Bows are the BEST OUT THERE (wink wink)...

I myself personally love to hunt, I love the cold weather and fall mornings and bonfire nights. I will admit that I am a social media addict, I tweet, I Instagram, and Snapchat and have Facebook updates....but it's because I love you guys and gals. I do have friends of my own who tease me and give me a hard time for some of the deer I've taken. Yet in the end they always say "Congratulations". I don't let Social Media, my friends or TV shows decide my harvest or hunt. I want meat in my freezer, buck or doe, young or old, they all taste good next to potatoes and gravy.

Be yourself, don't apologize and just hunt the way you want to hunt, enjoy the outdoors, enjoy Mother Nature and all its beauty.

- Ralph Spangler Jr
Bucks of Nebraska Pro-Staff