brucelanthier

How come there isn't a record book for the largest doe? How come there never seem to be any contests for the largest doe? Contest for the oldest doe? I have seen more than one reference to how smart older does are yet no one ever has a contest for mature does, just mature bucks. Anyone know why that is?

GeneRagulsky

Because they don't have horns.

BobCo19-65

Neither do bucks.[8D]

ahunter55

I had 2 Archery shop/lanes for over 20 years & every year ran a Big Buck, Big Doe contest. Had some dandy big Does weighed in over the years.

Austin/WI

LMAO. That was perfect! He sure told you -

BowHuntingFool

I have suggested it in the past but I'm not into the contest thing anymore! I just hunt!

IL-Cornfed

I've seen several "Big Doe" contests and in fact we have several of them locally every year. It encourages folks to tag antlerless animals and practice QDM and offers them a possible reward. As far as a "Record Book", should we consider skull measurements like bears?

brucelanthier

You can age them by teeth, how about oldest ones?From what more experienced deer hunters say theyare supposed to be as smart as mature bucks.

It is nice to hear about doe contests. Maybe they will have one here this year.

childers

ya i think so to but i also think the contest is kinda retarded

IL-Cornfed

How many folks do youknow whocouldactually age whitetails by their teeth, especially deer that are actually a mature 5 1/2+ ? I assure you, the number is VERY minimal.It's only a simple process for animalsup to 3 1/2 and then it becomes amuch more difficult task for the average joe.

"Supposed to be"..... LOL, that's an understatement! I believe that maturity plus maternal instinct plus never having a mind clouded byrutting behavior actually makes a matureDoeTHE most alert and difficult animal in the woods to tag. I have been fortunate toobserve, pass on and even tag a fair number of respectable bucks and I rarely can remember any of them looking up at my location. However, mature Does don't seem to let anything get by 'em. No distractions in their lives,only the instinct to survive. It doesn't seem surprising to mosthunters to get picked off by mature Does.

However, I can assure you that ANY mature whitetail is a survival machine regardless of sex butjust because males carry antlers does NOT make them smarter then their female counterparts by any stretch of the imagination. All things considered, the average Doeshould seem to be MUCH smarter then the"average" buck simply because the "average" buck is a naive yearling or 2 1/2 year old! It's not the fact that an animal is a buck or doe butit's maturity and life experiences that makes an animal more wary then others, regardless of sex, it's just thatolder Does have a lot more on their minds thenbucks.