Is there anyone out there that actually feels bad for shooting a doe? I haven’t harvested my first deer yet and last year was my first year…I couldn’t bring myself to shoot a doe. Although I loveeeeee deer meat and want nothing more to stock the freezer, just couldn’t do it. Anyone have any advice for me? Motivation maybe? Or is there people out there like me? Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Nope I don't feel bad for shooting them especially if they blow. I have a zero tolerance policy for a deer that blows. Honestly shooting does is really fun. I know when I hunted in Maryland I had an exuberant amount of doe tags each year. The last season I hunted Maryland in 2018 I had 15 does tags. And the year prior(2017) it was actually unlimited. They are actually a great way to hone your shooting skills. As a trophy doe is about 100 times more wary than a mature buck.
Whether it’s a buck or doe, not that you should feel bad but I think it’s a healthy thing to have at least a little reverence for anything you kill. Reminds you of what you’re doing and that is taking a life so that you can make yours better, feed yourself, your family, etc. Taking your first one will be the “hardest”. It was for me anyway. I didn’t feel bad per say, but I felt weird. It was what I expected but also not what I expected at the same time. Then same thing when I took my first deer while hunting alone. Then again when I finally took a buck. But it gets easier and the more you reflect on it after it’s all said and done, you can kind of decide for yourself if it’s really for you or not. To me it felt like one of the most natural things I was meant to do. From then on I knew it was something I want to keep doing until I can’t anymore. Not to get all hippy dippy but that’s my thoughts for ya. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If you utilize the resource, there is nothing wrong with shooting a doe. You are actually doing something that is better at controlling the population than shooting a buck. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Shooting a doe is quite OK, I see more doe's on my trail cam anyways then bucks. Theirs a reason why in some areas you can shoot more does then bucks. Fill that freezer up!
I would have to counter you with a question then... Why can't you bring yourself to shoot a doe? (This might lead to some philosophical stuff HAHA)
I try to shoot every doe that I have a tag for each season - It feels great when my freezer is full. I feel that it's also great practice for when the bucks show up
I don't shoot many does for 2 reasons. First, I grew up hunting in AZ (buck only), so shooting does was never an option for me. That mentality is always lurking in the back of my head, even now that I've been hunting Ohio for 8 years. Secondly, I hunt tiny properties and need those does to draw in bucks during the rut. My main property is home to 3 does and their fawns, so it isn't always good for my herd to go Rambo on all the slick heads.
Killing an old doe can be just as challenging as killing an old buck. A one year old doe with fawns is usually more alert then a 1 year old buck. Feel proud of any deer you kill.
I feel that if you respect and honor the animal by killing it ethically and swiftly as possible you can mentally accept the event. I don't shoot doe with fawns but I do kill 4-6 of them a year to feed my family. We have dominion, just know that you are doing everything you can to ensure it's done right.
Thank you for all your input. My boyfriend and I talk about these types of things almost on a daily basis. He's a true huntsman as you all are and he has educated me on everything I know today about hunti Honestly... I once told my boyfriend I look at bucks as dead beat dad's! LOL it's not that I have problem actually shooting doe, it was more of an experience my bf had has shooting one and her babies came in afterwards. I know by that time they are capable of fending for themselves I guess you could say it's the mother instinct in me.
We’ll just have to get ya a buck! Haha no big deal! Ill take care of the ones that try to give us away lol if she blows…she goes ha Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I grew up deer hunting in the area I live and hunt now, and when I was growing up it was buck only also. Things certainly have changed here. They’ve flipped so much that there is no limit on the doe tags I can buy. I do limit the number of does I kill here in my property though. Not because I’m worried about the population, but because I don’t want the deer to stop traveling through here because they keep dying when they do. Then there’s where I hunt in Kentucky. WAY too many deer, and they’re stupid deer. I’ll kill all I can there because if I don’t kill them the farmer’s two sons will when they go out with rifles and crop depredation permits. I know there are a few folks out there who frown on how many does I kill each year, but where I hunt I don’t even begin to make an impact on the deer population. So, to answer the original question, no, I don’t feel bad at all about shooting does. I still won’t shoot a doe with a young fawn in tow though. Not even in Kentucky.
I also grew up hunting units that were buck only. I don't remember what year they changed to start allowing a doe to be taken but I started deer hunting at 12 years old and didn't shoot my first doe until I was around 34 or so. I've always felt some remorse when first walking up on any deer or elk I've shot but there is something about nice sized antlers that certainly lessens that feeling. Has to be a fairly mature buck for that to happen for me though, a young buck with smallish antlers is no different than a doe to me. Idaho only allows one deer tag per year. Since the season is generously long I hold out for a mature buck for most of the season but will take a doe towards the end because I do want the meat. I'd rather let a young buck walk and just take a doe...but sometimes I will take a buck I shouldn't because I'm worried I won't fill my tag. (did that last year) Hitting one bad is a different story, especially if it isn't recovered. Luckily I've never lost a deer I've shot but I have lost a couple elk I hit bad in the shoulder. It isn't a pleasant feeling for several weeks. Knock on wood, I haven't had that happen for many years now.
It's fine to feel like not wanting to shoot a certain deer. Killing any animal is an emotional experience and I've never not experienced some degree of remorse mixed with many other emotions afterwards. For me personally does with little ones get a pass.
