An old roman nosed doe is way harder to hunt in our area than a buck. I have them on camera even at night walking around looking up. Their feet are on hinges when it comes to ducking a shot. I just don't like shooting them when I don't see many in the area. Though meat is meat and I will shoot at least one doe at home.
I try and keep my mature does around as long as I can. I have a couple on the farms I hunt that produce 2 fawns every year. They call my area home, and will continue to do so. They produce healthier fawns than your younger does. I usually try and harvest the young does. The 1.5yr olds. They may not be as big as an old doe, but to me they taste better and a lot of times don't have fawns yet. It kinda sucks when you harvest a doe and a fawn or two stand 15 yards away while you are gutting their mom. That's just my opinion though
You can eat horns, I always try to get a doe first then save my second tag for a buck. If it get close to the end of the season I’ll get a second doe. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
I don’t mind killing does to fill my freezer you just never know if you’ll get to kill a buck sometimes Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
One more thing I forgot to say was I always wait to see if she has any little ones with her I do t shoot does with fawns I always give them a few minutes to show up Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Not me...., by the time season opens, her fawns are gonna be just fine. By the way, what happened to Ashley Adams?
Never feel bad for anything you shoot. I think its necessary to harvest does to keep the populations in check. If anything they give you confidence for when the bigger buck walks out. You can't tell how old or the sex of a deer when its hot in the grease!
When bowhunting if its brown its down, and also.. you cant eat horns. I usually fill my doe tags first. I used to wrestle with the notion of feeling bad for shooting a doe with a fawn, but when the rut starts they run the fawns off anyways especially if they’re little bucks bc the older males will kill them. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I am not a fan of shooting does. Doesn’t thrill me. I don’t shot them unless I think it will benefit the local population.
Best venison I have ever eaten was a dry (had not been bred) yearling doe who had access to corn an soy. If you hunt to fill the freezer with excellent venison…an old mountain buck full of testosterone is not your first choice Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I have never had bad whitetail buck, big and old or otherwise. I get chuckle out of small deer eat better justification, total bunk.
I won't take a Doe until late Oct., early Nov. when most or all the fawns are weened and on their own.
I've been in on 100's of deer (doe kills" and have never seen a fawn die or starve because mom was in someone's freezer. And the "dry doe" is some kinda myth!
Nope, thin the heard before CWD annihilates all of them. In my state I can by a bunch over the counter and they are a great excuse to get out and hunt and.....they eat good!
Someone on a different forum had an interesting article that was on fawn survival rates and in it there was one interesting fact on fawn survival rates that said that when a doe is shot with a buck fawn that has finished milking that it is more likely to survive to year three because when a normal doe would kick it's fawn to live on it's own the survival rate are lower because they're unfamiliar with that new land. I think it's this article... https://www.jstor.org/stable/3808802
^^^^^Amen Nothing wrong with being excited...everyone should be happy about an actually downed deer. Go ahead shake your fists even high five your camera man for getting it done right...Just as with all the loud stupid music many put in ...LESS IS MORE!
You can replace the doe you don’t shoot with beef from the grocery store, but either way, somethings gotta die. Not shooting your own when able only pushes the work down the line. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
