How to age hill country does

[Hogmauler]

I coulda been tagged out FD just didn’t wanna shoot young ones. But it looks like it’s shaping up that way.

[glen]

Hog just do your best with slick heads. If you let bucks walk every once in a while you will have on slip up that is mature and come by during daylight hours. Pretty much only chance is on trails. They get feeder educated and will check them at night. Still beautiful area with very enjoyable hunting opportunities

[WBA2000]

Start with the one that’s always nervous!

[Smart]

We shoot the one with a mouth...

[S-3 Ranch]

That’s what I was figuring Glen. Nothing here can live to maturity. Sad but true.

Don’t give up this is our yard surrounded by “ if it’s brown it’s down hunters “ keep a cotton seed feeder going and the deer stick around

[Hogmauler]

Wow! Buck of a lifetime for me.

[muzzlebrake]

Start with the one that’s always nervous!

x100
those old snorting foot stomping blowing hussies have ruined many a sit for me. Take them out and you will begin to see more and better deer. After that if it ain't got spots or horns choot it too.

[Tommyh]

If you have a small acreage plot, the deer are going outside of your fence so kind of hard to manage anything. Shoot what makes you comfortable.

[deerwatcher51]

Shoot the one that turns broadside first.

This unless you are in an aggressive management program, then you shoot the oldest first.

[Hogmauler]

No way to manage in a development and I’m sure most of these folks go with brown and down. So the only result I’ve seen so far is very young does and nubbin bucks everywhere. Stupid of me to think that people would actually let deer grow up. Drove down to the end of the road and heard banjos!

[Tex_Cattleman]

Big problem with the theory shoot barron does and leave the good breeders. The problem all over the hill country is way too many dang deer. That being the case, pick pick out the healthiest, presumably best breeder/mother and kill her. It's like a bonus two-fer. Then do it again. Then do it two more times. Then invite friends out to do it. Smaller acreage in the hill country... You will never impact a herd no matter what you do. If you killed every deer, next next year the same number will have moved in from neighboring places. The only thing you can control as far as killing better bucks is they can't get big if you kill them young.

Edit to answer your question. Long nose is a give-away, as others have said.

[Hogmauler]

That was my thought Of every land owner killed three does there would be nothing left. And yes, a realtor friend of mine told me the same thing. “Fill all your tags. We have too many deer up here.

[flywise]

Shoot the one that turns broadside first.

We shoot the one with a mouth...

Solid stuff around Round Mountain

[Hogmauler]

I should have bought in Round Mountain when it was affordable. We wanted to get on with BS&W. Bulletin from the Department of the Obvious: Hill country property does not go down in price very often.

[kyle1974]

How to age hill country does

Dang Pilar what do you glean off a one year old doe? 40 pounds? So the matriarch does usually lead the group?

Not always about the meat it’s about getting a mouth off the place.

Sometimes older does are more successful mothers. They’ve had more years of practice.

I like to kill the does with nubbin bucks, does that snort, or if we can’t figure that out then it’s just which ever one is in between feeders.

I like to keep the nice calm feeder friendly does around.