Does - Fawns....I'm rethinking.....
09-14-2006, 11:49 AM
#11
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: land of the Lilliputians, In the state of insanity
Posts: 26,274
RE: Does - Fawns....I'm rethinking.....
ORIGINAL: KodiakArcher
Biologically, you're better off shooting the fawn anyway, as long as you can identify that it's not a yearling buck. (older does successfully breed better and are more likely to produce and successflully rear a good buck, an older doe has a better chance of successfully surviving a harsh winter, a mom without a fawn has a better chance of survivng alone than an orphaned fawn.) If I'm going to shoot a doe I'll shoot a lone doe, but given the choice of doe or fawn, I'd shoot the female fawn and if I wasn't sure it was female, I wouldn't shoot either. But I have the luxury of being a trophy hunter with herd management in mind. If I had to put meat in the freezer, I'd either shoot them both or take whatever shot presented itself and eat well with a clear conscience.
Biologically, you're better off shooting the fawn anyway, as long as you can identify that it's not a yearling buck. (older does successfully breed better and are more likely to produce and successflully rear a good buck, an older doe has a better chance of successfully surviving a harsh winter, a mom without a fawn has a better chance of survivng alone than an orphaned fawn.) If I'm going to shoot a doe I'll shoot a lone doe, but given the choice of doe or fawn, I'd shoot the female fawn and if I wasn't sure it was female, I wouldn't shoot either. But I have the luxury of being a trophy hunter with herd management in mind. If I had to put meat in the freezer, I'd either shoot them both or take whatever shot presented itself and eat well with a clear conscience.
09-14-2006, 01:25 PM
#13
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Michigan/Ohio
Posts: 11,682
RE: Does - Fawns....I'm rethinking.....
I know a certain member who would shoot the whole family without blinking an eye, as long as he had tags for each.
Gramp's love to shoot the little one's, LOL
Gramp's love to shoot the little one's, LOL
09-14-2006, 01:56 PM
#14
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location:
Posts: 2,621
RE: Does - Fawns....I'm rethinking.....
I think he meant to type "Maternal Grunt"
I'm sure by now everyone has seen my backyard deer and some are probably sick of hearing me talk about them.
Anyway........ She often makes that maternal grunt. I've heard it many times. It is a really soft sounding grunt. Even when I am within a few yards of the mother, it is very faint sounding. I doubt it could be heard from any distance by us hunters,
I'm sure by now everyone has seen my backyard deer and some are probably sick of hearing me talk about them.
Anyway........ She often makes that maternal grunt. I've heard it many times. It is a really soft sounding grunt. Even when I am within a few yards of the mother, it is very faint sounding. I doubt it could be heard from any distance by us hunters,
09-14-2006, 02:09 PM
#15
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: land of the Lilliputians, In the state of insanity
Posts: 26,274
RE: Does - Fawns....I'm rethinking.....
Thats cool windwalker. I have a buddy that found a small fawn once and nursed it. They raised it till maturity. He put a feeder out behind his house so she would stick around. They tied a big yellow ribon around her neck in hopes of hunters not shooting her. That doe came back to the house every night for 5 years. She would also bring her fawns with her. Now he has a bunch of deer coming to his back yard that were decendents of that original fawn. Its almost sad to set in his back yard and clean a deer while these others are watching.
09-14-2006, 02:10 PM
#16
Typical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Fremont, NE
Posts: 552
RE: Does - Fawns....I'm rethinking.....
I usually won't take a doe this early in the year. Later on in the year, I don't think that it's a big deal. They should be able to survive on their own by now, but I always want to be sure that the young ones make it...for at least another year.
09-14-2006, 02:37 PM
#18
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location:
Posts: 305
RE: Does - Fawns....I'm rethinking.....
Season started here Sept 1st..I have been hunting about 5 times and have seen about 10 does,..each doe has traveld with ATLEAST 2 spotted fawns..I have seen one doe with 4!! i posted a while back about whu there where so many fawns..an got back in reply because it was such a mild winter..makes since i guess..
