#2160533 - 11/11/10 08:23 PM
Can one "undo" a doe sink?
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Yodel Dog
8 Point
Registered: 10/14/08
Posts: 1087
Loc: Mid Tn
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I hunt one particular farm that usually has few buck sightings and very little buck sign, even during the rut. It has great cover, lots of food, and no hunting pressure. It is absolutely a doe sink. Can anything be done to change it? Will killing more does help?
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#2160622 - 11/11/10 09:01 PM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: Yodel Dog]
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cfmartin1833
6 Point
Registered: 09/26/10
Posts: 523
Loc: Smith & Wilson Co.
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Id say thin them out. Be careful though. Id prolly put up some trail cameras and get a more accurate idea of your deer herd. If there are does there has to be at least some bucks. Even if they are young ones. You can thin them out but if you kill to many it could be bad.
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#2160673 - 11/11/10 09:36 PM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: cfmartin1833]
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BDS05
8 Point
Registered: 10/15/10
Posts: 1892
Loc: tn
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Yodel I have a spot like you're talkin' about. Can go there and on a descent mornin' I'll see 15-20 does. and MAYBE three bucks. Had a trail cam in there for past two months and I've got four VERY exceptional deer hanging around. Only prob. is they've all been at night except one daytime picture and I saw one last wknd. This spots been like this for years and I've never taken a doe out of it. I know most wouldn't agree with the ratio, but that's just my 2 cents..
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#2160681 - 11/11/10 09:40 PM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: BDS05]
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LA man
16 Point
Registered: 05/31/03
Posts: 18561
Loc: spencer, tn/houma, la.
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kill more does
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#2160836 - 11/12/10 06:11 AM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: LA man]
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BowGuy84
10 Point
Registered: 09/16/07
Posts: 4847
Loc: Nashville, TN and Louisville, ...
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hammer the does this year and see if that helps. If your seeing 15-20 in a morning they could use some killing IMO
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#2160838 - 11/12/10 06:13 AM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: Yodel Dog]
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MUP
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Registered: 08/01/07
Posts: 36169
Loc: Just North of Chatt-town
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I hunt one particular farm that usually has few buck sightings and very little buck sign, even during the rut. It has great cover, lots of food, and no hunting pressure. It is absolutely a doe sink. Can anything be done to change it? Will killing more does help?
Dang YD, you been hunting on my place?! You described my place to a T, except for the fact that doe sightings are down as well. I saw a grand total of 7-8 does last year on my place, two spikes, one seven point(that I took during ML) and a small basket 8 that got a pass. I would be very interested in knowing too. 
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MUP
Amateurs: Built the Ark
Professionals: Built the Titanic
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#2160864 - 11/12/10 06:34 AM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: MUP]
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redblood
16 Point
Registered: 01/22/06
Posts: 10183
Loc: Lewisburg
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Let em walk. During the peak rut it will also be a buck sink
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#2160895 - 11/12/10 06:54 AM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: redblood]
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DOC1187
16 Point
Registered: 06/14/08
Posts: 10380
Loc: east tn
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true redblood
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#2160901 - 11/12/10 06:57 AM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: DOC1187]
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BlackBelt
10 Point
Registered: 08/09/08
Posts: 2615
Loc: SouthWest TN
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I'd love to have a 'doe sink' on my place! During the rut, that's where the boys want to be...and you will always have a freezer full of meat.
I see it as a win-win situation.
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#2161042 - 11/12/10 08:16 AM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: redblood]
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Twitch
8 Point
Registered: 11/27/08
Posts: 2232
Loc: Knox
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Let em walk. During the peak rut it will also be a buck sink
Thats what I was kinda thinking..... All them does running around in there, I would think sooner or later the bucks will be in there after them. IMO.
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#2161396 - 11/12/10 11:54 AM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: Twitch]
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BSK
Jerkasourous of the non-typical kind
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Registered: 03/11/99
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Loc: Nashville, TN
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I'm definitely NOT a believer in using high doe populations to attract bucks. First, I don't think that works. And second, little competition between bucks for all those does will lead to little daylight rutting activity.
As for undoing a doe sink, shoot a lot of does. But even that doesn't help sometimes. New does just keep filling in from surrounding properties.
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"There is no reasoning someone out of a position he has not reasoned himself into." --Clive James
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#2161401 - 11/12/10 11:59 AM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: Twitch]
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156p&y
10 Point
Registered: 10/23/01
Posts: 4097
Loc: Franklin Tn
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Let em walk. During the peak rut it will also be a buck sink Thats what I was kinda thinking..... All them does running around in there, I would think sooner or later the bucks will be in there after them. IMO.
The only problem is the mature bucks will just sit there and let the does come to them. It took us over 15 years to get our doe population down enough to even see the mature bucks. I'd keep shooting the does as much as possible. I used to shoot up to 15 a year myself. Luckily we now have it where we try to shoot 3 does for every buck.
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#2161402 - 11/12/10 12:01 PM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: BSK]
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pass-thru
10 Point
Registered: 10/10/04
Posts: 3050
Loc: va beach
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The way to improve the place is hammer doe fawns and yearling does,and only selectively harvest mature does. Once a solid matriarchy is established, young transient does will be less likely to come into the area because the older does will keep them out.
The year we logged our place '02 I shot 7 does off a 90 acre farm. Only one of them was mature. The new habitat brought in every transient for miles it seemed.
Edited by pass-thru (11/12/10 12:02 PM)
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#2161403 - 11/12/10 12:02 PM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: 156p&y]
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MUP
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Registered: 08/01/07
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Loc: Just North of Chatt-town
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But on our 150 acres, and only seeing 7-8 does and just 4 bucks totalled last year(just by hunting count), that's still a small number of does for that area, wouldn't you think? I guess what I'm trying to express is that with this small number of does, wouldn't we have been likely to have seen some more competition and more bucks, if lesser doe population means more competition?
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MUP
Amateurs: Built the Ark
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#2161406 - 11/12/10 12:03 PM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: MUP]
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BSK
Jerkasourous of the non-typical kind
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...if lesser doe population means more competition?
"Breeding competition" It's all about sex ratios and buck age structure.
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"Know where you stand, and stand there" --Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan
"There is no reasoning someone out of a position he has not reasoned himself into." --Clive James
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#2161412 - 11/12/10 12:08 PM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: BSK]
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MUP
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Registered: 08/01/07
Posts: 36169
Loc: Just North of Chatt-town
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Well, I'm pretty sure we have none of that, buck age structure, when the only ones I'm seeing, trail cams included, are only spikes and a couple of fork horns. Like I've said before, I rely heavily on shifters in this area, and the term "doe sink" really applies throughout the summer, b/c it's pretty much all does and little ones with the exception of some of these little spikes, most of the time. Rarely will I get a pic of a mature buck during the summer months leading up to Sept.
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MUP
Amateurs: Built the Ark
Professionals: Built the Titanic
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#2161421 - 11/12/10 12:16 PM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: MUP]
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156p&y
10 Point
Registered: 10/23/01
Posts: 4097
Loc: Franklin Tn
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I've noticed in summer months MUP that a bunch of does will almost over take certian areas and won't allow bucks in. Usually it's because of cover and food sources. The does need both to raise their fawns. So I wouldn't look at your summer months. I would just go with your instincts they are usually correct if you don't have a bunch of numbers to work with. That is really what we do.
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#2161468 - 11/12/10 01:00 PM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: MUP]
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156p&y
10 Point
Registered: 10/23/01
Posts: 4097
Loc: Franklin Tn
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Good luck MUP hope you get a big one shifting through. I've got several places I hunt that are really close. One piece of property I can see tons of deer but another one just right down the road I don't think I've seen a deer on it in 2 years. Very strange indeed.
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#2161655 - 11/12/10 04:52 PM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: 156p&y]
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BSK
Jerkasourous of the non-typical kind
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Registered: 03/11/99
Posts: 59548
Loc: Nashville, TN
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Generally a property becomes a doe sink because it has the best resources in the area, hence does take it over and force the bucks out during the summer fawning months. So having a doe sink usually means you have good habitat. At least that's something...
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"Know where you stand, and stand there" --Jesuit Father Daniel Berrigan
"There is no reasoning someone out of a position he has not reasoned himself into." --Clive James
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#2161898 - 11/12/10 08:07 PM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: BSK]
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W.Seay
12 Point
Registered: 01/17/06
Posts: 7149
Loc: Collierville,TN.
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Let all young bucks walk and hammer the does!
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#2161999 - 11/12/10 09:50 PM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: BSK]
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Poser
14 Point
Registered: 07/28/10
Posts: 8163
Loc: Tennessee
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This is interesting. I had posted here back in Mid October about a 50 acre "doe sink" bedding area that I hunt, though it suddenly became a buck bedding area this season. I had planned on working the doe population over in the early season, but as soon as I realized it had became "buck town", I backed off and have only hunted this area 4 times this season in order to keep the pressure off. So far, I have been unimpressed with the bucks that I have seen, but I did catch a glimpse of a mature buck once last season and, if he survived gun season, may be in the area.
I'm trying hard to limit my hunts on this property to all day sits or when its raining. Otherwise, its impossible to hunt without spooking at least 2 bucks and on a 50 acre property, that's not good.
But, BSK is right, this small property has all of the resources: A pond in thick cover, a 2 acre lake, 20 acres of completely overgrown weed fields, 30 acres of thick hard woods with plenty of acorns, a cattail bottom and miles and miles of soybeans all around it.
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#2162035 - 11/12/10 11:17 PM
Re: Can one "undo" a doe sink?
[Re: Poser]
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tasaman
6 Point
Registered: 01/11/10
Posts: 794
Loc: Woodlawn, TN
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One thing about when you have too many does is that bucks will just hang out and the does will seek out the bucks to breed. It's like that where I used to live in Georgia. Buck to doe ratio was about 1 to 15. Horrible and the rut really never happened. Oh you had the pre rut where occasionally you would see a buck trailing a doe but once the breeding started you wouldn't see them unless you kicked them up. Keep your does down close to a 1 to 2 or even better a 1 to 1 buck to doe ratio for your area and you'll do much better.
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