Which doe?

[Boll Weevil]

Simple curiosity more than anything but is there any science (from a management perspective) that supports killing one doe over over another? Older vs younger? With fawns vs without? Yearling vs the matriarch? Whichever one presents a shot first?

They've been coming by the stand in 2s and 3s and 4s and while daydreaming in the tree I started wondering...should one of those does should be the primary target?

Yeah, they all taste good but when a pack of does comes in, which one is best to kill from a management perspective?

 

[rem270]

I try to kill the older ones. And there are some old does where i hunt. Several 4.5-6.5. That being because i dont kill many, but when i do i look for a mature one.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

On my place with several deer, its the first that gets in range because the goal is just to take mouths out of the herd. On my other place with very few deer, I havent ever even killed a doe there since owning it 5 years but this year I have my eye on killing one because she has twin button buck fawns. Supposedly if those BB's are orphaned they are more likely to stick around that area and will have a higher chance at survival. Im sure BSK will chime in with the science.

 

[TNDeerGuy]

I will kill the oldest one every opportunity I have�keep the dominance to a minimum. I have one that I know is at least 6.5 and she is the meanest, most hateful deer I have ever seen. She will run off anything around her�other does, her own yearlings (especially if they are bucks), bucks of any size or the squirrel in the tree�it doesn't matter to her....she just just hates everything that isn't in her "clique". She has been on my hitlist for several years, but she is also the smartest thing around as well and always picks me and others off everytime.

 

[richmanbarbeque]

For me it depends. If I am hunting a place that the herd is small and needs to grow but I want to kill one I kill a younger one. if it is a property that needs thinning then I kill the mature doe. Mature does are better mothers and usually in good conditions will have twins. Fawns with young mothers usually have a higher mortality rate and also tend to only have one.

 

[richmanbarbeque]

I will kill the oldest one every opportunity I have�keep the dominance to a minimum. I have one that I know is at least 6.5 and she is the meanest, most hateful deer I have ever seen. She will run off anything around her�other does, her own yearlings (especially if they are bucks), bucks of any size or the squirrel in the tree�it doesn't matter to her....she just just hates everything that isn't in her "clique". She has been on my hitlist for several years, but she is also the smartest thing around as well and always picks me and others off everytime.

I have seen this as well. I hunted a property that the two other guys only condition was if I seen this doe that I would kill her. My question was how will I know, they said she will bust you no matter where you hunt. She did once...then that up coming Sunday I killed her. We celebrated more than any mature buck I have seen. She was flat out mean.

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

i would like to see what BSK has to say,i have been wondering the same thing

 

[BSK]

The removal of each age of doe has some biological effect, but no one age-removal has a "best" result. Much depends on what you are trying to accomplish with the current deer herd, as many posting above are doing.

Taking out the matriarch doe in a social group tends to cause the group to break up, with each doe then starting her own social group. This tends to "spread out" utilization of the habitat more evenly. Taking out matriarch does can be a good thing if you are seeing very large doe social groups (7+ members traveling together). However, the oldest does are also the best mothers and generally produce the most surviving offspring. If you are trying to reduce the doe population, you would want to target matriarchs. But if you are trying to grow the population, you would want to protect matriarchs.

If you are trying to hold the larger, heathier button bucks your improved habitat (compared to neighboring lands) on your land instead of seeing them disperse to other areas, targeting mothers of male offspring can help with reducing young buck dispersal.

Young does produce the fewest surviving offspring, so if you are trying to grow the local population, but still want some meat for the freezer (while not slowing the herd growth process much), yearling does would be a good target.

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

The removal of each age of doe has some biological effect, but no one age-removal has a "best" result. Much depends on what you are trying to accomplish with the current deer herd, as many posting above are doing.

Taking out the matriarch doe in a social group tends to cause the group to break up, with each doe then starting her own social group. This tends to "spread out" utilization of the habitat more evenly. Taking out matriarch does can be a good thing if you are seeing very large doe social groups (7+ members traveling together). However, the oldest does are also the best mothers and generally produce the most surviving offspring. If you are trying to reduce the doe population, you would want to target matriarchs. But if you are trying to grow the population, you would want to protect matriarchs.

If you are trying to hold the larger, heathier button bucks your improved habitat (compared to neighboring lands) on your land instead of seeing them disperse to other areas, targeting mothers of male offspring can help with reducing young buck dispersal.

Young does produce the fewest surviving offspring, so if you are trying to grow the local population, but still want some meat for the freezer (while not slowing the herd growth process much), yearling does would be a good target.

thanks alot

 

[Boone 58]

I try to kill the older ones. And there are some old does where i hunt. Several 4.5-6.5. That being because i dont kill many, but when i do i look for a mature one.

Me too, i like to take the big long faced 3.5 or older but i meat hunt them so it is fun and i enjoy outwitting an older doe like killing an older buck.

 

[DntBrnDPig]

I heard Grant Woods say one time that the best doe to take out is the first one that gets within range.

BSK's reasonings are very logical too.

 

[Andy S.]

....that the best doe to take out is the first one that gets within range.

This has always been my approach as well.