Shoot or walk?

[Redfred16]

This morning on my drive in I saw a doe with twin spotted fawns along Viet Nam Veterans and it got me to thinking. Would I shoot her? As a rule of thumb on tne past property I hunted does with spotted fawns and nubby bucks got an automatic pass. Then the rule was a buck 8 points or outside relaxed ears.

Now that I hunt my own 50 leased acres I can set my own guidelines and as far as bucks are concerned I've already decided to let it depend on what I'm seeing, when in the season it is and how much or if I already have meat in the freezer. But I think I will still let does with spotted fawns and the young nubby bucks walk.

What guidelines if any do you guys follow?

 

[Mike Belt]

Where I hunt filling the freezer is no problem. I sometimes even pick "doe days" where I'll go ahead and take 3 does if I can. With that being said, I normally give does with young offspring a pass even though I know the fawns are capable of making it on their own. It's just a personal thing. A buck has to impress me.

 

[Bone Collector]

Depends on the situation. If the fawn looks small and the spots are bright I will probably not shoot the mother, but if the spots are faded and the fawn looks strong, Thwack!

 

[woodsman87]

I believe that the fawns, for the most part, are old enough by bow opener to fend for themselves. The thing that stops me from shooting doe with fawns is that the fawns hang around while your gutting the mother. I have even shot does in late rifle season with fawns still with them and they still hang there. Not spotted fawns, just 1/2 year old deer.

 

[Winchester]

Does with fawns, especially button buck fawns, get my arrow first when Im interested in arrowing does.

 

[muddyboots]

I just shoot the biggest one. If the fawns have spots I pass on them and the momma. Just my preference.

 

[MUP]

I'd at least wait till the season opened... ;) My county, for the first time I can remember, has a week to kill one doe in rifle season this year. I plan to kill one and let her lay for a while in hopes of attracting her big bad boyfriend. :)

 

[Deer Assassin]

depends on where i am hunting some places have different rules

but for does and little ones i shoot as i please and same for bucks

 

[easy45]

I never shoot does with little ones

 

[redblood]

walk. some things are sacred.

 

[jlrobbins29]

After watching the fawns try to get their mother up, stand there and bellow as she is on the ground - I just cant do it anymore. Felt like such a piece of crap I didnt even want to hunt for awhile.

I usually shoot 7-8 does a year, but not if they have spotted little ones.

 

[BSK]

What I harvest depends on what the local deer population needs in relation to the habitat. Is the habitat being over-browsed? If it is, the population needs to be reduced hence I kill females (and if I target females, any female is fair game, including does with fawns, and any of those fawns that are female). If the habitat can support far more deer than the area currently holds, I don't target females.

 

[Urban_Hunter]

Does with fawns can wreak havoc on you if they figure you out. A doe with fawns will teach the little ones a lesson, not to mention give you up to any other deer in the area. A doe with fawns gets the pass from me... UNTIL SHE STARTS STOMPING THAT FOOT. I will stick her ASAP, and if she gets away she goes on my most wanted list... right to the top.

 

[StalkingWolf]

Shoot. I never give it a second thought. One animal dying is just the same as the other.

 

[MattR]

Does with fawns can wreak havoc on you if they figure you out. A doe with fawns will teach the little ones a lesson, not to mention give you up to any other deer in the area. A doe with fawns gets the pass from me... UNTIL SHE STARTS STOMPING THAT FOOT. I will stick her ASAP, and if she gets away she goes on my most wanted list... right to the top.

Haha. I hate it when they start stomping, it's like "Ok, there went your pass, thwack"

 

[CCAU]

I don't shoot does with fawns. They are still providing bucks for me to shoot later. A doe with no babies will have an arrow thru the heart.

 

[deerhunter10]

walk I only kill one or two doe a year and Its easy to kill them where we hunt. so does with fawns are off limits just to try to help the fawns survive a little easier. I don't know if it honestly helps the fawns but that's just how we do things.

 

[BSK]

I don't know if it honestly helps the fawns...

Not really. Some studies have actually shown a higher survival rate of fawns that were orphaned versus those that were not.

 

[deerhunter10]

I don't know if it honestly helps the fawns...

Not really. Some studies have actually shown a higher survival rate of fawns that were orphaned versus those that were not.

did not know that. really when we kill one we want the biggest but I haven't ever killed a doe with fawns. thanks for the info learn something new every day

 

[huntinkev]

I have before and had the fawn stand there a bellow out and I could barely scare it off.

I didn't like that much so I will tend to shy away from it if they are small.

 

[StalkingWolf]

I don't shoot does with fawns. They are still providing bucks for me to shoot later. A doe with no babies will have an arrow thru the heart.

So you just took out next years fawns. I don't follow the logic.

 

[Urban_Hunter]

I don't know if it honestly helps the fawns...

Not really. Some studies have actually shown a higher survival rate of fawns that were orphaned versus those that were not.

I knew they were fine on their own, but why do you think they could actually be better off on their own?

 

[MattR]

I don't know if it honestly helps the fawns...

Not really. Some studies have actually shown a higher survival rate of fawns that were orphaned versus those that were not.

But they have seperation anxiety! That is enough for me to let them pass. LOL.

 

[StalkingWolf]

I don't know if it honestly helps the fawns...

Not really. Some studies have actually shown a higher survival rate of fawns that were orphaned versus those that were not.

But they have seperation anxiety! That is enough for me to let them pass. LOL.

separation anxiety?

 

[BSK]

I don't know if it honestly helps the fawns...

Not really. Some studies have actually shown a higher survival rate of fawns that were orphaned versus those that were not.

I knew they were fine on their own, but why do you think they could actually be better off on their own?

Most likely because mother does have a tendency (actually a normal behavior) to run off their male offspring. This forces young males to travel sometimes miles before establishing a new range, and those travels are across unfamiliar territory, where they do not know the danger points or escape routes.

Early studies of button buck orphaning found over 90% of orphaned button bucks stayed in their birth range (and in familiar territory, hence much higher survival rates), while over 80% of non-orphaned fawns dispersed to new ranges (most likely due to pressure from their mothers, which drives them across unfamiliar territory where they fall to predators and cars at a much higher rate than non-dispersing button bucks).

 

[BSK]

I don't know if it honestly helps the fawns...

Not really. Some studies have actually shown a higher survival rate of fawns that were orphaned versus those that were not.

But they have seperation anxiety! That is enough for me to let them pass. LOL.

So after shooting their mother, just hand them your shrink's business card. ;)

 

[Boll Weevil]

So a button is indeed more likely to stick around if I remove mama...thanks for clarifying.

 

[BSK]

Yup. Much more likely. DON'T shoot momma, and those button bucks are very likely to be forced away never to return.

Back in our "pound the does" days, we gave double bonus points for shooting a momma doe with button heads in tow! One of my proudest doe kills was a doe with triplet button bucks.

 

[tickweed]

I never shoot does with little ones

same here. I can always find a single doe if that's what I need.

 

[MattR]

I don't know if it honestly helps the fawns...

Not really. Some studies have actually shown a higher survival rate of fawns that were orphaned versus those that were not.

But they have seperation anxiety! That is enough for me to let them pass. LOL.

separation anxiety?

Yep, failed attempt at a joke, thats all