thoughts on fawns??
 

hi everyone, i was just wondering what everyone thought about taking fawns. i've got a buddy who i've hunted with a couple times during our rifle season here in mn. he has takend 5 deer this year so far, 1 big doe and 4 fawns. now personally i think thats over kill on the fawns, persoanally i would liek to not take any fawns, just give them a couple years to mature and become slightly more of a challenge, just a personaly preference, not saying everyone should do that. but i was wondering what you guys thought about taking fawns. the one thing that is nice though is they are much easier to carry out of the woods and butcher up.

RE: thoughts on fawns??
 

I take 1 fawn a year for steaks. Good tender meat! The rest is a sport hunt.

RE: thoughts on fawns??
 

I, for one, think it is wrong to intentionally take fawns. In my oldest son's first hunt ever, he had a fawn under him in every possible shooting situation you would want. This lasted for nearly 2 hours and he never removed his bow from it's hook. His first deer ended up being a buck that scored 128.

My youngest son has started hunting this year and will not intentionally shoot a fawn either. Those deer are BABIES and too inexperienced to know better. They haven't had much of a life yet -5 or 6 months. For tender meat, wait for at least a yearling doe. They're just as tender and provide significantly more meat.

RE: thoughts on fawns??
 

I like them at least at yearling weight too , Dave . I don't intentionally target fawns , but I don't lose sleep if I get one either . In the wild stupid fawns don't live long anyway .

RE: thoughts on fawns??
 

What do you mean when you say its "wrong". Do you mean, ethically, morally, ...something else?

RE: thoughts on fawns??
 

I personally wouldn't shoot a fawn intentionally, although if you see one by itself without another deer to compare it to, it can be easy to mistake it for a 1 1/2 year old doe. But if other people like to shoot fawns sometimes- hey, that's their decision and their business, not mine.

RE: thoughts on fawns??
 

I'm not saying it's wrong, but at the same time I wouldn't do it. It's no wonder he's shot four of them, they are not as smart as momma or even a yearling. I guess it all works out though, he'll only have to buyfour biscuits,one for each fawn.

RE: thoughts on fawns??
 

Well fellas as shotgun season comes to light here in Iowa some groups go out and only target Bucks no matter what if it has antlers no matter how small it is in trouble. I for one would rather target the fawns and let the bucks grow. Of course I would rather take a mature doe or a mature buck but if you have tags to fill then I say fawns are a better way to do it instead of small immature bucks. That is also the only way that you can keep the herd numbers in check. The only thing about shooting a fawn that really bugs me is when you get to it and see those little buttons on top of its head then I get a really ill feeling. Well that is just my 2 cents.

RE: thoughts on fawns??
 

If its got spots dont shoot it. Wait for an adult deer.More meat for ya.

RE: thoughts on fawns??
 

I never saw a fawn with spots during the hunting season. I guess maybe its possible but like I said, here in NY I've never seen it.

RE: thoughts on fawns??
 

If I'm hunting for meat,if doe and fawn come in to my stand, I shoot the fawn. I'd hate to leave that fawn with out it mother.

RE: thoughts on fawns??
 

There's nothing wrong with it, unless your deer herd is hurting for numbers. Actually depending upon where you are, it can be a better idea than shooting mature does for controlling populations and improving habitat.

Annually fawn requires more forage to grow to full size than a mature deer requires to subsist on. So if your habitat is hurting and you need to reduce the deer population, shooting a fawn is a double-plus.

Here's a somewhat informative article from the QDMA org folks:
http://www.qdma.com/articles/details.asp?id=46

If you've got a thin herd and your wondering where all the deer are though, you might want to tell your buddy to let a few of the small ones go.

RE: thoughts on fawns??
 

Never have.... never will. Thats just me. And if you think that all
you get out of deer are steaks then you need to take a butchering class.

RE: thoughts on fawns??
 

Like some of the others have said, I don't look down on others who shoot young deer (less than a year old) but I'll never do it, personally. There are too many other deer that I can take. Where I hunt, I'm even able to be so selective that I can shoot a doe that doesn't have young ones by her side. I don't know if I'm fortunate to be in this type of situation, or the deer numbers are so high that it's almost a negative. Whatever the case, I won't kill fawns whether it's with a bow, rifle, or muzzleloader. I couldn't feel good about myself killing a deer that is that young and igorant.

RE: thoughts on fawns??
 

bdu dont read into what i posted. I said I wanted a steak deer, I cut about 20 packs of venison steak a year. I pesonally think that a fawn will produce a better steak than a 200 lb buck! Yes i take the trimmings, yes i cut the stew meat I even turn the neck into a roast. I have been butchering wild game for 23 years. I have butchered my fair share of beef and pork. If you have any questions maybe you want to ask before you assume!

RE: thoughts on fawns??
 

I prefer not too. A bigger one is more meat.

RE: thoughts on fawns??
 

Tyler and I have found over 250 dead fawns one year when shed hunting. The coyote couldn't even keep them cleaned up. Finding a 100 plus in a normal/extreme winter is not all that uncommon. With the mild winter we have been having in recent years,most does have two fawns and the deer population is expanding at a fairly good rate. Winter can be brutal here. The fawns are the first to die from winter kill. We have no problem with someone taking fawns.

Our deer are good sized and we can get quite a few tags. Filling the freezer is not a problem. I will take a doefawn towards the end of bow season to fill my doetag and top off the freezer. We might as well get a few good meals... if it is a tough winter this year the coyotes will find enough dead fawns to survive.

The deer herd up in winter here. Taking a doe fawn out of a bunch of does/fawns can be quite fun with all the eyes, ears and noses. We hunt from the ground and I like stalking in the snow. There is still a challenge under these conditions. I like getting close... 20 yards or under. Trust me the does will keep you on your toes if the fawns don't. The fawns are much easier to drag through thesnow banks then a doe also. :D

Tim