Before I get into this I want to say to all that are Trophy Buck hunters I understand why getting a truly mature Buck is your goal. I know this is a great challenge and all who have success deserve to be called a skilled Hunter and Woodsman. I am often surprised at the attitude of some when you share your success taking a Doe or multiple Does instead of a Buck or very mature Buck. Correct me if I'm wrong but those of you who have hunted for many years,do you find yourself busted by Bucks more often or mature Does? Personally the Does are up on me 12 to 1 over the Bucks.One Buck has Busted me in 4 years of hunting. I have rarely ever got within 50 to 60 yards of mature Does but the Bucks I have gotten within 15 yards many times while scouting. I've never harvested either a mature Doe or Buck for that matter,when I say mature I'm talking 4 to 5 years old or older based upon the comments of big Buck hunters. I would consider a mature Doe just as much a trophy as a mature Buck if not more so. The Does teach the Bucks everything they know for at least the first couple of years I would think,what do you think? I realize there are more Does than Bucks in most places so the deck is loaded in their favor. I also realize that mature Bucks just get out of the area as soon as they get your scent and therefore don't need to blow on you. The Does with fawns and large offspring are vulnerable because they care for their little ones who often get momma in trouble. Just would like to see more respect for the gals which I know many of you most surely have for obvious reasons. Well there it is I'm truly interested in your comments on this subject,what say you? Thanks for reading and commenting on this,I'm a big boy so you won't hurt my feelings if you take issue with me on this. Thanks
I have the utmost respect for the mature Does, who do you think taught the bucks how to survive in the first place!
Its a shame that the majority of of hunters out there only respect the rack. Mature does are just as smart as bucks of the same age or even smarter. Does are on survival mode 365 days 24/7. I have also been busted more by does in the past than bucks. Plus the rut makes more bucks vulnerable for obvious reasons. It has been proven though that as a buck ages past 4.5 his breeding activities start to decline. Does are so skittish esp in the late season. I think real hunters out there knows any mature deer is a trophy regardless of antlers or not. Another reason for the lack of respect for does I think is because they are simply not marketable. Who will go out and buy a DVD with only mature doe harvests? Big Bucks bring in Big Bucks $$$$ lol.
I've never managed to kill a doe with a bow....that should speak volumes. I'm actually trying to kill one this year because I've put a self-imposed "earn a buck" on myself (unless of course I see a nice mature buck - I'm no dummy). A trophy to me is a full freezer. You can't eat antlers and bucks aren't even as tasty. I need to fix the buck to doe ratio anyway so it's a win/win.
This is my first year deer hunting. For many years I coonhunted with my dad and we would hunt small game back when i was a kid. But he wasn't a deer hunter and I never caught the fever. This year I did and so far have been out half a dozen times. I missed my best opportunity yet when i moved 5min to soon last sat morning 4 does entering my shooting lane busted me when I stood up. 5min longer and I would've bagged my first deer. I plan to mount every skull on every deer I harvest. Doe or not.
During daylight, how many does do you see vs mature bucks? Almost never being seen seems to be the ultimate in survival to me.
I have killed a number of mature does, including a couple of old nags that seemed to bust me on a regular basis. I have yet to kill a mature buck with my bow. I'm hunting a new place this year with more mature deer on camera than ever before so maybe this is the year for me. I do respect those does and enjoy the heck out of hunting them but it is the trophy buck that has eluded me thus far.
In my opinion mature bucks are harder to kill since they don't move as much as your does. However ive been busted by does more then anything since they come in earlier and you have a risk of the wind swirling and getting your scent picked up by them.
I have a couple target does I'm after. They're big-bodied deer. One of them moves like a buck with no antlers and she rivals the size of any good buck I've seen in my area. If I manage to get either of my target does this season I'll be one happy hunter. Any meat in the freezer is good enough for me though
You determine what is a trophy for you. My trophy is my wife who cooks the best venison roasts in the world. I love her and her cooking... awesome stuff.
I have a friend of mine that used to hunt with his dad (he doesnt hunt anymore) and told me that his dad would say to him that we dont kill girl deer. I am constantly amazed at how dumb people can be. If we didnt kill does can you imagine what the herd population would be like? Well I can because I can remember back when I started hunting in the early 80s it was nothing to see 25-50 deer a day, but all of them were does and very few people had a hunter's choice tag. I dont want to go back to those days. I will be taking the first deer that I have a good shot at. Would I like to get a big buck? Sure! But I get almost the same thrill out of taking a doe as I do a buck.
I think that mature does are every bit as smart as mature bucks, if not smarter. You see a lot more of them not because they are stupid, but because there are so many of them. How many guys do you know that have climbed out of a field edge stand with does in the field because there wasn't a mature buck to spook? Things like that educate them, and I believe they do remember. People aren't as careful about spooking does as they are spooking bucks, and this is why their survival instincts are so good. Just remember that the doe you keep spooking may be the mother of the next trophy buck, and she could teach him where to avoid if you educate her enough. This hypothesis of mine might be a little much, but I don't chance it and take just as much precaution to avoid spooking does as I do bucks.
Great stuff everyone,keep it coming.Your comments reveal knowledge and being a fairly new hunter I want more knowledge about these amazing animals.
I understand what you are saying and get a thrill anytime I kill any deer with any weapon. However, I normally have multiple opportunities on big does every sit and only get a chance at a target buck a handful of times a year. There are just LOTS more does here.
Does are great and I have a lot of respect for taking any deer with a bow... But for me, there is no comparison... Does are fairly predictable all year long - sure they are alert, but not nearly as hard to kill as a mature buck that rarely shows itself and are just more rare in general...
