Let's see... I hunted the Tennessee opener at Chickasaw State Forest this past weekend. I hunted HARD, but no luck. I had a lot of deer walk under me before shooting light, but no movement during daylight hours. I came home yesterday at noon, showered and at 2:00 pm I headed to my stand on my private ground right behind my house. At 4:05 I saw a doe coming out of a gulley 35 yards away. I was already standing so all I had to do was get my bow. The wind was light and variable and she was on alert. She knew something wasn't right. As I was slowly getting my bow I saw other deer following her. No matter - she was going down. I got my release clipped on and she turned broadside at 18 yards and looked away. I was just about to draw and took one more quick glance to make sure the other deer weren't looking my way. THAT's when I saw what those other deer were. They had come out of the gulley and into plain view - two very small fawns, about half as tall as the doe with pronounced, very well defined spots all over them. I teetered on the brink of indecision for a second or two and then relaxed. I knew I wasn't going to shoot her. Those two were way too young and I didn't have the heart to orphan them. So I ended up lowering the bow until the bottom limb rested on the rail of my Summit Viper and just watched the three of them feed out of sight. I must be getting soft in my old age.
There will be more soon! I wont shoot one with Fawns anymore either. I did one year and had the 2 Fawns around my stand for the next several days looking for momma They wouldnt leave!
No shame in that. I'm 25 years old and won't do it either. Just don't like it, for reasons like Crick's above. I guess were a bunch of softies
two years ago i shot a doe with fawns, at first i felt bad because the two just hung around my stand staring at me. after finding the doe i felt a little better. it was getting close to peak rut and those fawns were pretty big but she hadn't kicked them off yet. they were milking her for all she was worth. the back 5 ribs were showing and there was no way she would have lasted the minnesota winter. better me to eat her than the yotes.
No shame brotha that's just one think that makes you different from other hunters i would have done the same as you if i was in that situation
Yep. Every season, I go in planning to take the first mature doe I see, break the ice for the year and get prepared for hunting bucks during the rut. Every season, I have several mature does with fawns under my stand and every season, I take lots of shots at them, with a camera and watch them walk off. Couldn't be any happier.
I agree with the posts about not taking that doe, there will be more opportunities to get the one that is best suited for your situation and there is no shame in letting the young ones grow up with a momma, this should better serve everyone on future hunts! Well played for sure :-)
Good call on letting her walk. I won't shoot a doe if she has fawns with her either. Something about it just doesn't seem right to me.
The other thread on shooting fawns made me think about this subject. I decided I wouldn't shoot a doe with fawns or a fawn. I figure I will have plenty of chances to take out a doe, why take one that is still leading her young around. The last several times going in and out of my hunting land I have seen the same 2 doe and 2 fawn grazing under a crab apple tree in some ones yard. This time going through I only saw 1 fawn and pulled up and watched it for a minute. It looked at me, then went back to eating. Its mannerisms were completely different from the last couple of times I had seen it, before I would pull up the doe would look at me, look around at its surroundings and take off with the fawns in hot pursit. I pulled off and rounded the corner, right around the corner I found out why. A doe lie in the ditch, taken out by a vehicle.
