Shooting a doe before the rut/ruining a stand?

I have two great stands with good bucks coming to them and they are on either side of a bedding area. If I shoot a doe out of one of them in a couple of weeks (can start shooting doe on Sept. 15th), are they ruined for the rut (last week of Sept, first two weeks of October)?

FWIW, they are both baited with corn.

 

Its all situational. Your scent is what can ruin a stand, not necessarily killing a deer.

I once had a stand with great access. Between me and a buddy, we shot 5 bucks in 2 months. Out of a 9 foot high ladder stand pushed back into a tree covered in vines. It was on a great transition area between a hedge row and a clover field.

Best bet is hopefully drop the deer close to the stand, and not have it run back into the bedding area.

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One stand is right off the road and the other is down a fireline. I do not believe access is the issue. Like you said, the doe running back into the bedding area would be the issue.

 

I think with that amount of time you mentioned in between there shouldn't be an issue especially if your talking rut. The bucks you have on cam might be long gone and new ones might be in the area. Smoke the doe.

 

If the deer does run back into the bedding area. Let the stand sit empty for 3-4 days.
Should be fine

 

I don’t think the doe running into the bedding would be an issue. The real problem would be getting busted by a group of does. Once they’re on to a stand location they tend to check it before they commit. Although this might not matter for the rut. Best case scenario for you is to shoot a lone doe on the first sit.

 

Why shoot your bait?

 

Why are you putting bait by the bedding area? Where are you that the rut is the end of September beginning of October?


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Why not just shoot a buck if they are coming into the bait?

 

Deer like to bed close by if the cover is right. Heck I used to see them bed right in the clover food plot.

 

I'd think it would have to be a southern state, their rut starts earlier than in northern states.

 

Eastern NC is first week Nov.
October is super early even for southern states


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For me hunting bedding is a morning hunt. I sneak in trying to avoid pushing deer off food sources and get into the bedding area before them. Putting bait by the bedding makes that difficult.


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I've shot does opening day numerous years, and have shot bucks out of the same stand during/before the rut that same season. It hasn't done me any wrong.

 

Florida, South Carolina (July/August), and parts of Alabama and Mississippi can have ruts as early as September.

 

Our bucks show the most activity the last week of Sept., first week or two of October. Low Country SC.

 

Theory I heard once was if you shoot a bunch of does early season, you will create more competition for the bucks and get better movement. I have no idea if this works or not. The logic seems correct.

Shooting a doe over a bait pile early does change the game a bit, If I were after a mature buck, I wouldn't worry about him being at a bait pile. The odds are not in your favor.

 

The good news is, there is a stand/corn on either side of the bedding area. My theory, based on what you said, is that by shooting a doe/“disrupting” one stand/bait pile, he would frequent the other bait pile.