RE: Does Shooting Doe BEFORE the rut Lesson Your Chance at a Buck
GMMAT, i dont take does from pretty much ANY of my hunting areas...i used to...but, my herd dynamics are much different than yours....it might not be 1:1 or 2:1....but IMO its about ideal and i know once rifle season kicks in, a couple does in the herd will be taken out by other hunters...
it used to be nothing for us to see 20-50 deer on a normal day of driving in rifle season from 10 or 11 am till dark...now 10 is a pretty danged good day....but, most of the deer we see have antlers now. that is REALLY why i dont take does...
we have permission in an area to doe hunt in the late flintlock season...i took a BB from that herd last year(2 yearlings running togehter i thought they lost mom and were doe yearlings..) that area is like the OLD PA...TONS of deer and not many buck...some buck, but litterally tons of doe...we only got permission to be there in the late season though...and i love hunting with a flintlock so i save that doe tag for there and then...
i understand to take does you gotta hunt them where they area, even if thats the same area your hoping for a buck...and i do have somewhat of an educational history in basic wildlife management and ecology etc from college...so i KNOW does gotta be taken...i leave that to the rifle hunters...i know they took a couple last season so i know i wont be taking any does around home this year...unless im regularly seeing a pile of them...
school i hunt a state game lands which got pounded in previous years...deer herd plumeted...dad and i took a pile ourselves for a couple years....i dont know what its like there in rifle season anymore...if i see a bunch of does up there i wont hesitate to let one fly...i'll just try to be smart about it and either get it done early or try to take one away from the bedding areas...(if i take one there i am using my tag i reserve for flintlock season....but i wont hesitate..i cant play resource manager using hunting as my tool EVERYWHERE id like to because tags are limited in the unit because most areas are where the game commission wants the levels..)