Tag soup has no ill flavor to me. If I have set my goals(for whatever reason) on a particular type/size/age animal and as long as I have tried hard to get him then tag soup is fine.
To tweak your example to deer-if I know my property has 170/180+ on it, then I’m passing 160 on 1st and last day.

I had my target buck (wide 8 point) show up on opening day just as the sun was coming up in 2011. Watched him at the feeder for 10 minutes and knew that my season was over as soon as I pulled the trigger. I watched him walk away for another day. Later I was thinking what the F____ did I do that for. I enjoyed the rest of the weekend and went home Sunday night. I decided to take off work on Wednesday at noon and head back to the lease. I was in the blind by 3 pm and not going to pass my buck this time. The feeder went off at 4:30 and I waited. A few deer showed up and then I could see a deer running thru the mesquites. The big 8`s horns were easy to see as he ran thru the mesquites. He slowly walked up to the feeder and I settled the scope on his shoulder a pulled the trigger. As I walked to the feeder with the deer laying under it, from a distance it looked like his beam was broke and I though WTF (would not have shot him with broke beam or point broken off). Luckily it was just the way the deer was laying. It worked out letting him walk the first day and I did the same thing a few years later on a wide ten point. I was also able to get him a week later.

I hunt 100 acres and surrounded by meat hunters, which is what I basically am. I passed on a good buck a few years ago that was probably 4.5 to 5 years old. Jumped the fence and a few minutes later heard a shot. Saw him at the gate hanging. Tough call I guess but after that I decided if it's a good one I'm taking it because if I don't someone else will. We rarely see the same deer year in and year out.

drop the hammer... ive seen too many good deer never show back up. It it feels good then I am taking him.

17" trophy? I got a 20" that does not go 140, Texas deer. I would have to look real hard to find a 17" 140 deer. If it is a 140, drop him for sure. If it looks that good, it will look that good to someone else. I have passed up to many deer in 50 years on opening morning not to ever see them again.

I would/will kill the first decent one that presents a shot and then go on doe patrol, duck hunt, and fish the rest of the fall/winter. A big deer for my wall would be nice but healthy freezer meat is what we are after.

Yep. If allowed 1 shooter buck a year, he is a mature shooter and makes you happy, I'd kill him on the opener unless I have another specific buck that I'm targeting.

Yep, depends on the place I'm on. I spent 25 years hunting on a place in SE Duval County and I can't count the times this has happened to me. Pass a borderline shooter or a young stud just to watch him jump the fence and get shot. Or, pass a young stud with great potential that we agreed amongst ourselves was off limits, just to have the land owner's son or one of his nephews show up one day and kill him. I almost lost my cool over that one, especially after it happened twice. We put all the work/money/feed in year round and someone that has never contributed a damn thing shows up and kills whatever he wants, even after we ask him to please don't shoot so & so deer. Nothing we could do about it. Went many years without shooting a decent buck there. That gets old, especially when you only have so many days in a season to hunt. Passing a shooter in that scenario is a sure fire way to never shoot a buck, I learned. Other ranches I've hunted on, including the new lease that I'm on now, totally different situation. Bigger place, good people and rules that get followed, and a management system that makes sense. Lots of deer that would be instant shooters on the Duval place get a pass here, as they should.

the words your guide hates to hear when this 140" walks out

"Do you think we'll see a better one?"