megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Just got back from the farm doing some bushhogging and putting in some food plots (a month too late, LONG and frustrating story).
I also spent a little time in the woods to try to kill some does early season.
Not sure if it's the agricultural beans, extra rainfall and browse, or a better timed and earlier rut (or maybe a combination of all 3); but I saw several fawns that were in the 75-80 lb range, which is unheard of this early in the season on my farms. In fact, one of the does I killed was 4.5 and 155lbs live wt, the largest doe I've ever taken. She had a button buck fawn with her that was at least 80 lbs and had 3" velvet buttons already!
Fawn recruitment from trail cams and observation appears to be around 40% this year, very disappointing since we only chopped up one with the haybine (normally 4 or 5/yr). But I've still got quite the surplus of does since most of the neighbors don't shoot them.
I did watch a 110" 2.5 y/o 8 ptr and a 3.5 y/o 115" 8 ptr fight right in front of me yesterday morning until the 3.5 y/o rolled the smaller 2.5 y/o
The bucks I saw appeared to be similar in size to years past, around 110lbs for the 1.5 y/o's, probably 150 lbs on the 2.5 y/o and 180lbs on the 3.5 y/o
I did see a couple late born fawns that were small (just lost spots), but most of the fawns were WELL above average weight (looked like the fawns normally look in December). Are the rest of you guys seeing much larger fawns this year as well?
I also spent a little time in the woods to try to kill some does early season.
Not sure if it's the agricultural beans, extra rainfall and browse, or a better timed and earlier rut (or maybe a combination of all 3); but I saw several fawns that were in the 75-80 lb range, which is unheard of this early in the season on my farms. In fact, one of the does I killed was 4.5 and 155lbs live wt, the largest doe I've ever taken. She had a button buck fawn with her that was at least 80 lbs and had 3" velvet buttons already!
Fawn recruitment from trail cams and observation appears to be around 40% this year, very disappointing since we only chopped up one with the haybine (normally 4 or 5/yr). But I've still got quite the surplus of does since most of the neighbors don't shoot them.
I did watch a 110" 2.5 y/o 8 ptr and a 3.5 y/o 115" 8 ptr fight right in front of me yesterday morning until the 3.5 y/o rolled the smaller 2.5 y/o
The bucks I saw appeared to be similar in size to years past, around 110lbs for the 1.5 y/o's, probably 150 lbs on the 2.5 y/o and 180lbs on the 3.5 y/o
I did see a couple late born fawns that were small (just lost spots), but most of the fawns were WELL above average weight (looked like the fawns normally look in December). Are the rest of you guys seeing much larger fawns this year as well?
