I killed a small buck opening day back in 1990 on a bowhunt with friends here in Missouri.
My buddies threw shade on me for killing a small buck on opening morning and for literally killing off my next 6 weeks of bowhunting bliss.
I had a young family back then and money was tight so I bundled up all my stuff that Saturday and headed home with my deer to cut up....it was no doubt hot on October 1st
The next day rains set in for the next week and my buddies told me they sat in the rain soaked tents and gear that week wishing they had tagged out like I did.
To this day I have no issue cutting my tag on day one.
You can't eat a day on the calendar. But you can eat a legal animal that comes your way, regardless of weather it's the first day or the last day of a hunt. Here in Minnesota, party hunting is legal. As long as one member of your party has a valid, unfilled tag, you can continue to hunt after filling your own tag. Sure makes for some extra opportunities to spend time afield.
