Post rut does

By now most mature does have been bred and are carrying either twins, or sometimes even triplets. Does killing a post rut doe/does have any affect on your overall deer herd?

I hunt pressured (archery only) Public land where most guys take the first "legal" deer they get a shot at. Probably because chances a few and far between with the population the way it is. I still have 2 "antlerless" tags (used one early season), but I'm thinking killing a doe at this stage is the WORST thing I could do for the herd on this land. Thoughts on taking post rut does?

 

How many fawns would that doe have had if you had shoot her before the rut.......

 

None. I'm speaking about potential. Early season=not pregnant, late season=pregnant.

 

I don't, but for personal reasons, not herd management reasons. I was with a friend that field dressed a pregnant doe once shot later in January and I did not enjoy it. Call me a sissy, I don't care .

 

It is like getting 2-3 deer for the price of 1.

 

The big does are what the bucks are there for. Shoot the fawns and yearling does. Some guys get up in arms about shooting the button bucks, but a big doe is going to keep producing bucks for years to come.
Pre-rut or post rut doesn't make much difference - you want the big girls to hang around.

 

My plan late season is for a small antlerless deer or a wounded deer. We have a few goofy looking spikes here as well, may shoot one of those if I cant get a big boy. I have all my archery tags yet, trying not to eat tag soup this year but I will if I have no shots.

Beefie

 

Sissy!

I had to do it. lol I have never shot anything in jan but I may this year. I have 1 buck and 2 doe tags to fill yet and I dont care to fill them all. A family that are friends of ours could use some meat this year, so I will prob take whatever I can for them.

 

You can't be going hunting Sunday. Go Pack Go

 

It has no more affect than if you would have killed her pre-rut.

 

It depends on the deer herd in your area. If you don' t have a lot of deer you're better off not shooting doe at all for a couple years. If you have a good deer herd for your area you should shoot the mature doe that "used" to drop twins and triplets but is out of her prime and will either only produce one fawn or none at all. If you are over populated, shoot what ever comes your way, other than a button buck. There are a lot of ways to spin it, I would honestly say steer clear of shooting 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old doe, because they will more than likely drop the most fawns next year, the yearlings will be the best tasting and the mature doe will be the best ones to take for herd management. If you have a lot of buck in your area go ahead and shoot the button buck, if not I wouldn't shoot one of them either unless your only goal is to fill your freezer and it's all you see.

But as far as your question. It won't effect your deer herd any different than it did pre-rut.

 

I agree, I do not think that it will have any effect whether they are shot pre or post rut. Buck to doe ratio is probably the best indicator as to whether or not to shoot does. There is an area that I hunt that I saw better than 50 does without seeing 1 buck or only 2 or 3 bucks. All of those does did not get bred. Just because a doe is running around right now does not mean it is pregnant.

 

I don't think it has any effect. I would take one out if I got the chance.

 

If you need meat to feed your family shot a yearly doe if possible but i wouldnt pass on a doe right now where i am. She comes out first she drops first. But a yearly doe or button buck taste better lol

 

If you killed her now or in september, she's dead and not going to have fawns next year. If you have a lot of deer, keep hunting. If you don't then hunt squirrels.

 

No deer in VT, so will only take one doe per year. Tons of deer in NJ so Im still looking to take some doe.

 

I would assume that if PA allows a post season doe hunt, then the doe population is more than healthy enough to sustain the harvesting of does that potentially would produce fawns in the spring. If it doesn't bother you personally I'd go for it.

 

BINGO! I still kill them though cause they are yummy..And I have plenty saw 10 in a herd the other day.

 

in proper healthy heard management you need to kill doe's of all age classes.... but that is another topic..

 

Every doe does not have equal reproductive value. Bucks, like all males, select mates based on their fitness to pass along their genes. Does capable of producing twins = large bucks.
Too many hunters, when given the opportunity to kill antlerless deer, want to shoot mature does over fawns and yearlings. Bigger is not better. And they maintain the misguided notion that any button buck killed was going to remain in the same area to become a 10 pt'er.
What is "proper healthy herd management"? (Kind of rhetorical)


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