RE: Go ahead, shoot the doe, and her fawns!
 

O I dunnoabout that. Keeping healthy herds and healthy ratios is all part of the QDM and the DNR goes by the same when they issue tags for each year. They look at ratios and total number and a real QDM practicing land owner is going to shoot those does and keep the herd in check with the environment in which the deer are living. Sure they do it for the trophy aspect and are prolly more concerned abuot that but they still know to get trophy deer they have to keep a healthy herd and environment. WCL

RE: Go ahead, shoot the doe, and her fawns!
 

Actually about 7 months.

RE: Go ahead, shoot the doe, and her fawns!
 

That is not always true.:eek:

RE: Go ahead, shoot the doe, and her fawns!
 

IC you didnt say you were still hunting bucks late season just said you woudlnt shoot late season does. So I get it now.....I was simply just saying..."The does I am shooting are within the first few weeks of the opening of season. There is a very slight chance one of them has come into her cycle VERY early, but it is a very very slight chance."... It doesnt matter if the doe is in cycle or not she will indeed come into cycle and get breed with your possible buck so there truely is no difference in an early or late season doe. I know you shoot em early cuz the bucks arent movin and I really target does early too unless I got a buck patterned. If my bucks are on the ground for the year you bet I'll be wackin them late season does and yo should do so as well. It will only improve your herd. WCL

RE: Go ahead, shoot the doe, and her fawns!
 

Actually a whole year and the possiblity of that yearling carrying a fawn for next season. Depends on your management goals which determins which one you should shoot. Some fawns get breed their first year but most dont or dont carry a full term and succesfully have a fawn that spring (atleast in the northern states its tough for them to). WCL

RE: Go ahead, shoot the doe, and her fawns!
 

As I said in the other thread, I have shot both a doe and fawn together and would do it again without hesitation depending on my venision supply at the time. I wouldn't shoot it if it was a button buck though, but mistakes do happen.

If you don't agree with it that's fine, to each his own and I'd love to discuss it further, but I gotto go cook up some of that fawnI killed last year.

RE: Go ahead, shoot the doe, and her fawns!
 

A fawn is simply a first year deer/yearling. Spots and body weight vary.

RE: Go ahead, shoot the doe, and her fawns!
 

While I wouldn't shoot fawns (spotted deer) as that is illegal in VA/NC, once they shed their spots they are fair game. Many of us live in states where there are boatloads of deer and unlimited antlerless tags either through DMAP or buy purchasing extra stamps. I shoot whatever I feel like that day and if it happens to be a 65 lb yearling then tough break. He/she should of bobbed instead of weaved.

I respect the animals I hunt but I respect the farmer as well and he doesn't want to hear a bunch of touchy feely stuff about the little yearlings, hewants them thinned out. Sounds a little harsh but it is what it is. I've killed 3 antlerless deer in a day multiple times. All of the meat gets used and they were fun hunts. If I set on a stand early bow season and see any where from 16 to 25 does along with maybe 3 or 4 bucks it doesn't take me too long to figure out that once gun season is in there is work to be done, so I do it and enjoy those hunts.

We have deer shedding their spots right before and during season as their winter coats come in so that makes for some small deer with no spots that are completely legal and after eating many a dinner made up of these tender picks I can't wait for more. Is it a challenge? Not so much, but that's not what it's about all the time.

On a side note while I definitely agree that QDM is good in theory it simply is not possible/practical for many hunters. I do what I can to improve the habitat on the small farm we own but I am honest enough to know that is far from a full fledged QDM program and itnever will be due to the lack ofsurrounding landowner cooperation, land size, anda lack of resources.

RE: Go ahead, shoot the doe, and her fawns!
 

Hmm well we dont call em that around here. A fawn is a fawn until it is a year old "a yearling" in our book at least. Call it what you will but I guess I've never heard to many people call a fawn a yearling. So your basically saying a fawn that has just been born is a yearling? Seems goofy to me I guess. We grew up raising calves ad showin at fairs and a calf is condisered anythign less than a year old and a yearling class is anythgin older than a year but not 2 years old. WCL

RE: Go ahead, shoot the doe, and her fawns!
 

Thanks for sharing that.;)