For you buck hunters...what's your opinion on killing does?

[Boz1911]

Every year I say I'm gonna take one or two but I never do........just can't do it

 

[Psilloh1]

I would think a state level decision maker would include as many data points as they could. Insurance info, number of carcasses on the side of the road, number of buck/doe tags filled out.
None of these by themselves is going to be absolutely perfect. But the numbers are going to give you a good idea of the actual numbers out there but they can indicate the current trend.
They are going to be interested in the state population and they will not be concerned about the plot you manage. Maco vs micro. With all their fiddling with the number of tags and the mistakes they make, Mother Nature still works things out.

I am sure they do use any metric that helps any decision.. My point is the only one that pays to help keep the quota up is the Insurance Lobby. They have huge loses on Deer vs. Vehicle.. If they had their way the would double the Yearly limit to lessen the liability.

 

[rockyfatcat]

I am sure they do use any metric that helps any decision.. My point is the only one that pays to help keep the quota up is the Insurance Lobby. They have huge loses on Deer vs. Vehicle.. If they had their way the would double the Yearly limit to lessen the liability.

My insurance guy said something like ‘the only insurance claim ever filed in this county is a deer strike’.
Like I said “competing interests”. Unfortunately we little guys don’t have enough money to bribe our politicians to do the right thing.

 

[the_great_white]

I would think their lobbying interest trump any other data...

This is exactly why we have such a high tag limit.

 

[Fatal_Bert]

Why feel bad bout the youngsters? One way to look at is is they aren’t proven breeders like mature bucks or does. The young ones are the most likely to die if food is scarce, and have learned the least about predators, so they are more likely to turn into coyote or bear food. You kill a 6 monther and chances are it wouldn’t have made it to 5 years old anyway, hell the next year isn’t guaranteed....but a deer that has made it to 3 or 4 years or older is likely to keep surviving. And breeding.

I prefer bigger deer personally, as they yield more meat. 4 large deer are roughly equal to 6 youngsters, but I don’t have any issue with an extra tender small treat once a year.

I've shot yearlings right out from under there mature Mother's. It's good tender meet, and like you said, there's a damn good chance nature was going to dish out a much harsher death.

 

[carver]

In my neck of the woods we have a good doe population, so an early season freezer filler is the way to go for me if I kill a doe.

I don't believe in filling all 10 of my doe tags. That's just my approach and the reason why is a doe can only breed once a year, but any buck can breed 10-15 times, or more. Take out the does and the deer herd dwindles dramatically. Thinning them out is one thing, wiping them out is another.

For this reason at most times and in most cases if I am hunting for meat I would rather take out a young buck.

^^^^this^^^

 

[Staygold]

I hunt private land and NF. On private land, talking 1000+acres, it's 8pt or better or don't come back. In the 13 years or so I've been blessed to hunt this property, I've taken one doe during bow season. No one really bow hunts it anymore, but they used to allow a doe during bow. Once muzzle loader started, 8pt rule kicked in. I've always thought it was strange, but every year there are some nice bucks killed. Very few times did I hunt this season and not see a deer. NF has such limited doe days and I'm usually pretty deep so if I'm pulling the trigger there is a load of work ahead of me. Most of the time, I'm looking for a ghost to make a mistake.

 

[mightyman]

I have mixed feelings on it..
however on our farm (in the mountains) of Va we take a doe once in a while..and we took 4 this year as they were simply just to plentiful.
However..I am a big believer..that where the girls are...the boys are..and if there are lots of does..good chance one of them will come in heat in the rut, then a month later if they are missed.
this has proven successful hunting strategy for us over the past 15 years..as the bucks have been good, that come seeking the girls.

 

[Vincent Vega]

I have mixed feelings on it..
however on our farm (in the mountains) of Va we take a doe once in a while..and we took 4 this year as they were simply just to plentiful.
However..I am a big believer..that where the girls are...the boys are..and if there are lots of does..good chance one of them will come in heat in the rut, then a month later if they are missed.
this has proven successful hunting strategy for us over the past 15 years..as the bucks have been good, that come seeking the girls.

I believe it. A wise hunter once told me that the best deer attractant is another deer.

 

[Comanche]

Where I am we have a massive doe population.
I counted a 16 doe herd the other day while working outside.
I also have several small doe herds roaming around and watch three different herds graze in my yard alone every night.
I have seen a few embedded loner bucks and a few batchelor groups that I’ve seen together before and after the rut.
We are definitely over run with does and the 10-2 ratio is understandable for my area at least.
It’s great for me because I’m a meat hunter and I prefer to take alpha does when the opportunity arises.
I’ve taken 7 does, two bucks and 2 coyotes this season in three different hunting locations in the mountains.
Greedy?....why?...it’s legal and justified.
Most of the does I’ve taken were among groups with other alpha does and yearlings mixed.
I always take the biggest one of the bunch.
As far as bucks go.....I really don’t give a crap about antler size as long as it’s a nice sized buck it’s meat in the freezer.
I prefer to take the loner buck or the largest one in the batchelor group.
I have let several bucks walk by unharmed this season as well as does so it’s not like I’m just killing anything that moves when I’m out there.
I still haven’t ran across the big bodied 6 pointer that won’t grow more than 6 points every season but he keeps getting bigger every year.
There’s also a massive bodied alpha, amazon doe back there that is completely nocturnal that I would love to harvest yet dread to drag.
I guess I’m blessed to have some awesome hunting spots this year and feel bad for guys who haven’t seen much action.
Been there myself many times.