RE: Shooting mature does vs shooting small deer
We try to shoot only MATURE does. Its hard to age a doe on the hoof while she is in the field, but you can tell the young ones, the middle aged ones, and the old does apart. A bucks rack is also made up of his moms genes (about 50%). When you take an old doe, its much the same as taking an old mature buck. They have served there breeding purpose, there at there prime, and now there just competing with the younger deer for food. We also prefer taking old does rather then young ones because the older ones seem to have twins. So when you take out an old doe your helping to keep the buck:doe ratio and the carrying capacity of the land under control. Plus when you take a mature doe your helping to "stir the genetic pot" in the herd.