So do you shoot a doe this weekend or keep them around?

[Throwin Darts]

Shoot them early. Take their mouth off the place before the first freeze

A mature buck doesn’t breed as many does as most think. If you shoot them after the rut they could be carrying the offspring of a great buck.

Shoot them early and then stop once the rut hits

[IAFFHunter18]

Does - before the rut
Big bucks - your call but I would wait till after the rut so they can pass on their genes.
Cull bucks - anytime

I agree here ^^^^

[sambo73]

im shooting the first one that I can.

[BigCohiba]

Earlier kill = earlier sausage.

[slicktricker]

Choot em choot em

[scoutman]

Yes

[AlaskaFlyerFan]

Here's how it was explained to me.

Does before = Not pregnant you're taking 1 deer from the herd

Does after = Most likely pregnant you're taking 2-3 deer from the herd

1 is less than 3

This belongs int the "Math Question" thread.

[Tx_Wader]

Fat doe with no fawn gets an arrow from us unless a target buck is in the picture.

[JES]

For anybody management-minded, it always better to remove does early in the season. Every doe walking around is eating 5-7 pounds of food per day, every day. Most properties have too many deer to begin with so the longer you keep the does around, the greater the impact to the habitat. Too many people wait til the end of the season, and then don't end up shooting the number of does they need to. Those of you still seeing spotted fawns are doing so because of late breeding activity, which is largely due to high sex ratios nd too many does. Kill a bunch of does to improve the sex ratio and you'll stop seeing them. Also, the notion that the presence of does will help increase buck visibility is misguided. The more does you have the less the buck activity and resulting visibility. Basically, with a skewed sex ratio, bucks don't have to look as hard for does as when the sex ratio is tight and the bucks have limited opportunities to breed. Since the season is essentially open earlier this year, there will be some fawns that can't afford to lose the doe (again, mostly a function of a poor sex ratio), but, but fawns greater than 6 weeks are fully functional ruminants and can get along fine without mama. If the fawns have lost spots or have faded spots, the doe is eligible for harvest. Plus if you really have a lot of does to kill, many times you can get the fawn as well as the doe. Just make sure he doesn't have bumps on his head. Lots of reasons to kill does, the earlier the better.

Best post of the month, but most of the hard heads here won't take this advice. We worked with a TPWD biologist on a property we hunted 10 - 15 years ago and this was what he taught us. Every since then I have been whacking them as early as possible and as often as possible. Also on the fawns, stop seeing Bambie, that's a mouth that is consuming browse and if it's doe, then its going to skew your ratio, so shoot em too!

[lesson 101]

I let mammas pass that have babies with spots but no spot momma drops. I have seen buck calls work during rut. No need for decoys for me.

[Dillakilla]

Err time.

The more does there are before the rut, the less the bucks have to work to get some. The less does there are, the harder the bucks actually search for them. More searching = more traveling = more visibility.

Never thought about it that way...I like it

[okrattler]

Guess it depends how bad a guy wants some deer meat. I'd shoot a doe. With fawns with or without spots. A deer hunters job is to manage the deer population. You can't really do that if you sit and nature watch your whole life.

[roostar14]

Shot mine this am.

[Graysonhogs]

If old guard dog doe gives me a chance, she gone.


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[DRT]

I have but don't plan to this year. It is good management practice if you need to thin your herd. I just really don't want to mess with one.

Gary