This is a good question to bring up. I'll offer you this scenario. The last day of the Pa season 2 years ago, I was hunting for a doe, already had a buck. Well that morning turned out to be pure chaos in my neck of the woods, and I sat on stand all day and saw 13 bucks and lost track of how many does I saw. Never left the stand. Finally at 4 pm, a lone doe came in, feeding around, and I busted her. SHe ran 50 yards and piled up. Here's the interesting part: as she layed there in her final resting place, 4 other bucks, at4 separate times,strolled into that area to investigate her in the final hour of the season. I could of shot everyone of them. They wouldn't leave her ....and she didn't have a pulse!!

So in short, I'm no longer afraid to shoot a doe late in the season when the rut is on. But it has to be a perfect scenario for me. No other deer around, and if she's watching her back trail carefully, I wont shoot her. If she looks lonely, yea, I'll take her if I want.