ORIGINAL: shed33
Never, less Iwas starving. But before anyone blows a gasket, I say this because we dont have high deer densities in these mountains, every doe fawn that can make it to their 2nd birthday,I am happy for her, because shes lucky to avoid the mt.lions, wolves, bearsand yotes that run this country.
I'll shoot a big buck,bear, cow elk or bull elk to help fill the freezer; they have a lot more meat on them anyway..
If I lived where deer populations needed thinning, I'd be glad to fill those antlerless tags.. but honestly I have a hard time shooting youngsters, I'd believe I target/shoot a mature does..
Silverflicker
One winter Tylerand I quit counting after hitting 300 pluswinter killed fawns while shed hunting. If we would have kept counting... the number would have been close to twice that. The coyotes couldn'teat them all and most rotted that spring. I kept thinking what a waste. Granted it was a badwinter but itis not auncommon to find50 -100during tough winters. Since" most " hunterswill not kill a fawn... there are a lot running around towards the end of bow season.If I have a tagthat late in the seasonthen doe fawns are fairgame. One less possiblewinter kill that goes to waste.
Read the post I quoted above. Troy is a great friend which I respect and mean no disrespect. If it were me in a low population situation likeTroy's... I wouldn't shoot a mature doe period.I would rather shoot a doefawn all though I doubt I would even do that.A fawnis less likely tosurvive due to the reasonsTroy listed. Amature doe is more likely to survive winter/predators to producefawns the next year. Too mepassing a mature doe at all costsis good for a low population. I wouldn't bank on the fawn.
I've got my reasons... you, Troy and everyone else has theirs. Really is no right and wrong.
Tim