when to shoot does

[talltexasshoote]

Best time is when they turn broadside.
Doesn't matter what part of the season it is.

This.

[Dale Moser]

i understand whenever u get a chance is a good time to kill em. but does it make sense to kill em a week or 2 AFTER the season has closed, knowing theres a good chase the does being shot are pregnant?

Whether they are bred or not is irrelevant. If you kill a doe on Oct2nd.....she will not have a fawn the following spring. If you kill her on January 2nd, she still will not have a fawn the following spring.


I prefer late morning on Saturday, to answer your question.

[BigL]

Doesn't really matter but I try to wait unto after the peak of the rut. Nothing brings out a big buck like a doe in heat.

[TexasRed]

The only thing that concerns me about killing does early is they usually have fawns with them that aren't completely weened. If the fawns are still in spots they get a pass.

[SmTx]

Going to shoot me one this weekend. Hopefully Saturday morning where it's nice and sunny while I clean it.

[Mike Murphey]

Taking all feelings out of this question and getting down to your deer herd. Your ranch that you hunt is capable of having X amount of deer. Once you know that amount (1 deer per 10 acres or 13 acres ?), you know how many bucks vs does you have, you have a plan to harvest X amount of deer for the land, so many does and so many bucks.
Fawns by October are feeding themselves now and are not dependent on their mothers to feed for them. If you take does early as suggested you are taking out does that the bucks will need to breed during the rut. If you take out these does then the bucks will need to move around more to fine does, more browse/food will be available for the other deer and the survival rate for your bucks will be better do to not being worked done during the rut.

[SB09]

Early and often!

[tbgascorer]

Shoot them late and risk seeing this. It doesn't bother me fortunately. I pretty much autopsy everything I shoot to learn as much as I can about the animal. What are they eating, what damage did I do to what organs, pregnant, age, condition, score, weight, etc?
Keeping good records makes you a better manager.

[diamondrules]

Doesn't matter if they are preggo. If you shoot one early in the season, it doesn't produce a fawn. If you shoot the same doe late in the season, it still doesn't produce a fawn.

well put

[Hawkpuppy 1]

From a pure management aspect, there are several reason I would say to shoot does early in the season:

1. Less mouths eating critical winter/fall forage.
2. Less work and potential for bucks to get (more)run down trying to breed does that are just going to die.

That being said, here are the pros for shooting them later(post-rut) in the season:

1. Better possible fawn retention/recruitment. This factor is also dependent on location in the state as some areas fawn out earlier than others leading to older, more survivable fawns earlier in the season.
2. "Bait" to help draw in bucks during the rut. That being said, what's the point of leaving does to get bred if you shoot the "bigger" bucks coming in to breed them in the first place?

A lot of this all depends on way too many factors to say one is right and one is wrong. Environmental conditions, age structure, sex ratios....... In a perfect world, I would have to say my opinion would be to shoot them early all things being equal.

[Hawkpuppy 1]

TBGAScorer, well said. Most true managers realize that dead deer/animals will and can tell you more than any live one ever will. Performing a necropsy on killed deer will teach you a lot in regard to overall health, possible underlying conditions in your herd, parasite problems if they exist, forage use..... You gotta gut them anyways, you might as well learn something. Using a Julian scale on a fetus will tell you when your rut is actually occurring as well.

[tbgascorer]

TBGAScorer, well said. Most true managers realize that dead deer/animals will and can tell you more than any live one ever will. Performing a necropsy on killed deer will teach you a lot in regard to overall health, possible underlying conditions in your herd, parasite problems if they exist, forage use..... You gotta gut them anyways, you might as well learn something. Using a Julian scale on a fetus will tell you when your rut is actually occurring as well.

Yeah, I have been needing to get a scale.

[frios]

shoot anytime you need carne!