Say you have to shoot a doe in you state in order to get a buck tag. Opening day a doe comes in with a buck 20 yards from your stand. Do you shoot her and not care about the buck? Or do you not shoot her because you might scare/ educate the buck away?

I've always thought about this scenario and just wonder what some of you guys think

We have EAB but I don't have to worry about that b/c I shoot my does in late season which count for the following year too.

well if the buck is illegal to harvest, id definitely shoot the doe. i wouldnt be too worried about educating a buck, unless it was an absolute giant. there are a lot of big bucks out there for you to see later

One variable you didn't mention, that would make a difference too me in this decision, is if this was a bigger/mature buck.
Meaning, over 3 1/2 years old and if this was the case I probably would pass on the Doe, as not to spook him.

However, that early in the season (for N.H. it's 9/15), I would venture to believe it was a smaller buck (maybe 1 1/2 years old)
and the answer would be yes, I would shoot the Doe.

id stick the doe first and then hopefully the buck would stand there wandering why his lady fell dead and smoke him too lol although that one would be tough to explain to a gamewarden.......................im not in a state that has that law, but can you do what i just said? shoot a doe, then shoot a buck right after that?

Depends. If he's a shooter (130") I'll give her the pass most likely. You could look at it this way too though being she's 20 yards away that buck really isn't going to have a clue what actually happened but he will more then likely remember what happened in that particular spot from there on out that season.

I'd let her go I guess and play it safe if he's a P&Y buck. If he's not the caliber buck I'm after that year I'd zip her!

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No because you have to tage your doe and then when you check it in they give you a buck stub and also it is illegal to take more than one deer a day where I hunt.

Knowing me I'd shoot her long before I realized that a buck was following her.....

If it's a BIG buck, I'd just watch them so I didn't give my presence away/educate him. On a side note to this. ThePa Game Commhas given preliminary approvalto allowing a second deer to be shot before tagging the first one! This will only be legal in certain Special Regulations WMU's if it becomes law. Personally, I think this might bring on somebad hunting ethics.[:@]They are also adding 2000 more antlerless tags to my WMU (5-D). That's how badly they want more deer taken from this region.