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I would go for older doe,and that for the three tags,many older does are sterile and in winter eat survival food needed for bucks and youngs to pass through winter
Black Bull
Black Bull
Your opinion please...
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In my earlier post I said I'd shoot the fawn if I saw a doe and a fawn. I have seen does with out fawns. I have no problem shoot a doe that is alone. Either she didn't have a fawn, can't have one or something happened to hers. I have seen does shot and they are still produceing milk. Somewhere there was a fawn who would get a meal and likely won't survive. I've seen yearling who don't have fawns and they're great eating. I stick with my first thought though, I won't shoot a doe with a fawn.
I have a deer problem on my farm, so much so that I have qualified for depredation permits. So I make an effort to shoot does whenever possible. Unfortunately, my group has taken a few buttons by mistake. We do let 1.5 yr old antlered bucks walk. Anyone shooting one doesn't get invited back next year!
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Good for your group, my group does something similar. We try to only mature bucks at least 2-1/2 years old, but must be at least an 8 pointer and outside his ears. We really prefer 3-1/2 and up if possible.
We let the young hunters shoot what ever they want for their first deer and then we teach them the importance of proper deer management. We have no restrictions on does. This has really improved the quality of our bucks in the last 5 years.
At long distance we have had some mistakes, but boy will you get razzed for a couple of years.
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Old doe. The young doe will produce more faws over her life than the old doe. Besides, the old doe is 10x more likely to bust me while I'm in my deer stand than the yearling doe. For that, she must die.
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Kind of depends on what's in the freezer.
If it's been a poor year I would take a yearling doe to "break the ice" then probably hold out for older does after that. Other than the prime cuts, we grind most of our venison into burger or cut it up to have salami made so I'm not too concerned about the flavor of the meat. Having said that, it is hard to beat the flavor of a young doe.
I will not knowingly shoot a button buck. However I have shot a couple of buttons in the past thinking they were does. :?
If it's been a poor year I would take a yearling doe to "break the ice" then probably hold out for older does after that. Other than the prime cuts, we grind most of our venison into burger or cut it up to have salami made so I'm not too concerned about the flavor of the meat. Having said that, it is hard to beat the flavor of a young doe.
I will not knowingly shoot a button buck. However I have shot a couple of buttons in the past thinking they were does. :?
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I would shoot the doe, like someone said earllier, the fawn will produce more offspring in the future than the momma doe will. And its more meat for the freezer. So far i have not killed a BB and hopefully i will not.
We dont have the huge numbers in deer down in south louisiana like up north, but the lease we are on has a little under 3k acres and we average about 20-25 deer per year, usually close to the same buck/does. but a few years ago there were about 15 does killed and the following year it was mostly bucks killed. I think with the reduction in doe population it made the bucks move around more looking for does.
We dont have the huge numbers in deer down in south louisiana like up north, but the lease we are on has a little under 3k acres and we average about 20-25 deer per year, usually close to the same buck/does. but a few years ago there were about 15 does killed and the following year it was mostly bucks killed. I think with the reduction in doe population it made the bucks move around more looking for does.
if the old doe is barren i will take them first,
next i would take the yearling does and if i absolutely had to i would take a button buck.
don't like to shoot them but, like others have stated, sometimes you can't tell unitl it is too late.
good hunting,
bacher
next i would take the yearling does and if i absolutely had to i would take a button buck.
don't like to shoot them but, like others have stated, sometimes you can't tell unitl it is too late.
good hunting,
bacher
Shoot all the females you can. Let the lil bucks Go and let them Grow! There is always people who want meat and have tags open. Start with the oldest and work younger. If you drop the OLD wise one the younger deer might hang around and give you a chance to put them on the dirt. Maybe wait for them to line up, so you can make the most out of the one shot.
meathunter1
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I'd shoot all three, in whatever order they filed in. All woud have a place in my freezer. Grind the old doe, roasts out of the young doe and the button would be steak-city. :lol:
Well, I looked at my aged post and some of the others in this thread and thought I would add an update.
I do not hesitate to shoot does with fawns. As the rut approaches, the does drive the fawns off. They can not grow a fetus and be burdened with last years foal at the same time. They also need to be worried about adding fat for winter, so that they and their fetus can survive. If the fawn is too young to be weaned at this time, it is a function of poor herd dynamics (too many does, not enough bucks causing too prolonged of a rut). Since the rut in Iowa is during bow season, I feel that the fawns are days away from being abandoned as a part of nature. It does not bother me to wean them a day or two early.
Which deer would I shoot? It depends on what I want. If I want a deer in my freezer, young doe hands down. I can buy unlimited tags to fill the freezer for the lighter weight. If I'm giving it away to Hunters United Against Hunger, I'll shoot older does. I also donated two bucks to this program this year as I'd rather not eat them.
I try VERY hard to not shoot button bucks, but it does happen. It is acceptable table fare and the button buck I did shoot during early muzzleloader season this year did have a belly full of my corn. I'm sure he would have visited my orchard and rubbed up trees as he got older. I would have liked to wait until then, though.
I do not hesitate to shoot does with fawns. As the rut approaches, the does drive the fawns off. They can not grow a fetus and be burdened with last years foal at the same time. They also need to be worried about adding fat for winter, so that they and their fetus can survive. If the fawn is too young to be weaned at this time, it is a function of poor herd dynamics (too many does, not enough bucks causing too prolonged of a rut). Since the rut in Iowa is during bow season, I feel that the fawns are days away from being abandoned as a part of nature. It does not bother me to wean them a day or two early.
Which deer would I shoot? It depends on what I want. If I want a deer in my freezer, young doe hands down. I can buy unlimited tags to fill the freezer for the lighter weight. If I'm giving it away to Hunters United Against Hunger, I'll shoot older does. I also donated two bucks to this program this year as I'd rather not eat them.
I try VERY hard to not shoot button bucks, but it does happen. It is acceptable table fare and the button buck I did shoot during early muzzleloader season this year did have a belly full of my corn. I'm sure he would have visited my orchard and rubbed up trees as he got older. I would have liked to wait until then, though.
jnrbronc said:
I read this over several time and have to disagree. Maybe things are different down your way but up here the does don't run off the fawns until spring. They may hide them during the rut but they have them with them all winter. They don't allow them to nurse anymore because as you said they have to take care of their own needs for the growing fetus but they have the fawn with them and the fawn education continues to spring.
I have to agree with RAF, The fawns here in Wi. stay with the does
until June (big car kill month) when she has her young, In northern Wi.
if you shoot the doe the fawn will not make it too many wolves,coyotes,
and hard winters
Redclub
until June (big car kill month) when she has her young, In northern Wi.
if you shoot the doe the fawn will not make it too many wolves,coyotes,
and hard winters
Redclub
My use of the term "driving the fawn off" might have been taken to mean that the doe will not share the same area with her fawn. That was not what I meant, rather that the doe will not tolerate the fawn suckling. I think we all agree that the fawn gets weaned and that was my main point. Yes, the does and yearling fawns hang together as a family unit through the winter. A doe nursing a fawn all winter can't be a good thing for the doe and her unborn fetus. I shot a doe with the bow in early October and was shocked at her lack of fat deposits. After the fawns were weaned, the does really started packing on the pounds.
On a side note, it is not just the doe that "drives the fawn off" (starts the weaning process). I watched a buck guard a hot doe during the rut this year. For two hours he drove off EVERY deer that tried to get close to her; other bucks, does, and fawns. Since he most likely tended her for 24-48 hours, that could have been the start of weaning her fawn if she hadn't started already.
On a side note, it is not just the doe that "drives the fawn off" (starts the weaning process). I watched a buck guard a hot doe during the rut this year. For two hours he drove off EVERY deer that tried to get close to her; other bucks, does, and fawns. Since he most likely tended her for 24-48 hours, that could have been the start of weaning her fawn if she hadn't started already.
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