Getting soft......
 

Sunday was first opportunity to hunt the 2002 bow season in Kentucky. I went to a place that my father-in-law and I have hunted for the last ten years. We know the layout like the back of our hands, and have patterned the deer from year to year, so we are usually successful atleast in seeing deer. I got to the woods at about 4:30 and hooked my climber to a tree about sixty yards inside the woods, surrounded by oak trees full of acorns. It was one of those first day of the year experiences, the tree I picked to get in was as crooked as they get, and I had my climber adjust to small for the tree. I was debating whether I should climb down and fix my stand, or just deal with the inclined platform and hunt. I decided to just tuff it out and deal with it. After I was in stand about thirty minutes three does passed about fifty yards out. Then, at 5:30 I saw a doe coming directly for my stand. It looked like a yearling, so I was expecting to see the mother. After a couple of minutes of the yearling foraging around my stand I decided I was going to take her. I got myself in position and then as I was about to draw, here comes momma. Now, I knew the first doe was a yearling, but she didn't look so small until the big healthy doe walked up and dwarfed her. I had a couple chances to shoot the mom, and in the past I have done that in the same situation. I don't know what it was, but I guess I am just getting soft because I just kind of smiled to myself and let them walk. Maybe it is because I have plenty of bow kills under my belt now, I don't know, whatever it was, I feel good about my decision today. All in all, it was still a great day in the woods and got me pumped up for this season.

RE: Getting soft......
 

Stickun, I understand your feelings. I've been watching 2 does with fawns out back all summer. The doe with twins is a fine, big doe. I expect that as long as the fawns are with her she's safe. I hope the 3 nice bucks I've seen come around for the rut.

Phil.

RE: Getting soft......
 

Hey, stickun-don't feel bad, I do the same thing. Something inside me just won't allow me to shoot a doe with any little ones. So far it hasn't affected my meat supply in the freezer, but if it does, I might have to have a talk with myself!!

RE: Getting soft......
 

I did the same thing Saturday morning I had 2does & 2fawns. I decided to pass them up for no apparent reason. I also live in Kentucky (Bardstown).

RE: Getting soft......
 

You did good, feel exactly the same way. I have never been able to shoot a doe with fawns, must be the bambi movie or something. I can and have shot yearlings though...them are good eats, only when they are alone.

RE: Getting soft......
 

Stickun_bucks I will be honest and say I would have taken her, but my hats off to you, I will let a momma walk if the fawns are young, but from what you said it sounded like they were old enough to do without mom. We all change with time and I may with time do as you did, I just love venison and so does my family, I take as many as are legal and in Va. with the overpopulation we have it is better for the herd to take as many does as possible.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

RE: Getting soft......
 

stickun, been there, done that. Sometimes you just don't feel like killing. I know that there are a lot of guys that wouldn't have passed on the opportunity and good for them. They will have a freezer full of delicious meat. For me, some days I'm out there and have plenty of opportunities, but just don't feel like dropping the string. I don't know why, it just happens. Maybe I just like to watch them sometimes. Anyway, I guess that's why it's called hunting, not killing.<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

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RE: Getting soft......
 

Don't feel bad at all. I once took a doe with a young one standing around and I can say I'll never do it again. After I took the shot (30-06 rifle) the little yearling did not run away and it kind of suprised me. When I finally made my way towards the doe, it ran off. It wasn't a fawn (no spots), and could survive without her, but I just had a sick feeling after that hunt. It was the middle of the season and I didn't have anything in freezer yet, so I took the shot. I can honestly say next time I'll let her walk. Respect is part of the experience...

RE: Getting soft......
 

I've also passed up shots on a few very large does with young'uns with them. The most memorable was one I used to see every Sunday evening while I was watching the NFL. She used to look in the window and watch the games on occassion. Couldn't shoot my &quot;football buddy!&quot;

Today's small bucks are tomorrow's trophies.

RE: Getting soft......
 

It's definitely not an easy thing to do and I certainly would rather the doe be alone but I rarely ever see does without fawns. You should feel good about your decision.

RE: Getting soft......
 

This situation always reminds me of a sign I saw during a fly-in Canadian fishing trip...It read...

&quot;It's better to be on the ground hoping that you were in the air, than to be in the air, hoping you were on the ground.&quot;

Or something like that.

So, to me, the situation you described is much like..&quot;you can never go wrong deciding not to shoot...&quot;

It's a long season.

RE: Getting soft......
 

Folks this is one of the reasons we bow hunt. We get to see things that others do not. Ain't it fun just to watch deer go by your stand? I like to be able to tell myself &quot;I could kill that deer if I wanted to&quot;, but I'd rather just watch&quot;. I passed up every shot I had on deer last year. Didn't stick not one of them. Did I have a bad season? Heck no. It was great. I learned several new things about whitetails by not shooting and just watching. Now if that P&Y record had walked by, heck yes I would have stuck it! But it never did. Had several average bucks in range to shoot and a bunch of does. I just chose not to shoot any of them. I don't know why I didn't shoot at least one. I just didn't.

Hunt hard or go home !