ORIGINAL: shamlin
That is fine but whenyou shoot fawns you run the risk of knocking down a button head that is a totaly waste.
I agree that this choice may not be right everywhere. Where I hunt, my cousin wants the deer dead, period. Deer are considered to be over populated by the state too. Keep in mind that when you shoot a doe you are removing her, and all of her future offspring. She may be carrying three bucks when you kill her. You take a fawn before its riskiest winter. If the fawn is a doe, you remove ALL of its future production some of which would be bucks. If you shoot a buck fawn, you remove just one deer from the population.
I do try to give them a close look, a buck fawn is flat between the ears or low in the middle. A doe's head rounds upward in the middle between the ears. I give them this look but I do not wory about it. Lastly, buck fawns are not a waste. Fawns are the best eating.
Antlerless tags (doe tags) in my county in Iowa are sold on a first come basis. They do not sell out. Party hunting is also legal (you may fill any tag in your party). By buying antlerless tags we can shoot deer without wasting our single antler tags. This encourages us to shoot does and fawns and let small bucks walk. Since I am responsible for the actions of members of my party (to my cousin) I ask that my party does this.
I believe that parts of New Jersey are over populated too. They also do not have the winter carrying capacity of corn country. If bsmith769 is in an area with a lot of deer, passing on small bucks and dropping everything else will help the remaining deer be healthier and larger.
Bob