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Old 09-10-2009, 11:12 AM
  #43  
fastetti
Nontypical Buck
 
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 1,462
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It all depends. If you know you are somewhere that you have the opportunity to take a deer for a few months to go, I'd let her walk. I have shot many does with fawns (I call 'em yearlings) but usually wait until November. No reason why, I'm kind of a softy and let the fawns grow up a little more. Plus, Id rather wait for a little cooler weather to shoot a deer unless its a nice buck.

The fawns def. can make it on there own. Ive had two in my backyard that have been running around without a mother since July. They still had spots but mom had never been seen, pretty sure she met her match with a car. They have never missed a beat. Had plenty of spots and were living off the flowers and bird feeder since then. A little button buck and a doe.

There was actaully a study done where biologists tagged 34 button bucks, 19 with there mothers, 15 that were orphaned. At the age of 2 1/2 all 19 button bucks that grew up with there mothers had moved outside of there home range. Out of the 15 button bucks that were orphaned, all but one at age 2 1/2 were still in there home range. I don't say go out and orphan any doe with button bucks, but if you run into a doe in October November that has 2 button bucks, that might be a good deer to take. If anybody is interested I still may be able to find the study on the internet.
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