Lets Start a Debate.
 

Lets do the Pro's and Con's of shooting a doe before the rut.

Pro's
You get the Pressure off you and you are able to then focus on killing for bone.

You wont be wondering if she was pregnant or not, thus killing only 1 deer and not 2.

Keeping The Buck to doe ratio down

Succesfully shooting a doe early boosts your confidence sky high, you have no question of your ability, your broadhead, anything. Because of that your odds have just increased for the buck.




Middle Ground
One less doe for the rut for the bucks to chase.



Con's

A few day period of area contamination

No doe to get pregnant thus losing a fawn for next year





Now this is an incomplete list so I'd like to have people post what they think should go where and WHY

I'll keep track and update the list as we go.

Ryan.

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

Pro? one less doe means the bucks might chase the does harder and more often

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

pro- keep the doe to buck ratio down. REASON...because here i can see up to 17 does in 1 night, not a single buck

con- cant think of a good one for where i hunt. maybe attract coyotes???

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

x2 I see no cons of shooting does in my area. In fact I have to, to be able to shoot a buck at least (EAB Regs) [:@]

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

All pros....cant think of any cons off the top of my head.[8D]

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

def helps the Doe to Buck ratio

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

Why i listed that as a Con was In my area, if you shoot a doe, you wont see as many deer, a lot of the time when you kill the matriarcial (sp) doe the rest seem to just go a ton of different places rather than stick to the former patters like their confused or something??

Ryan.

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

Pro:Succesfully shooting a doe early boosts your confidence sky high, you have no question of your ability, your broadhead, anything. Because of that your odds have just increased for the buck.

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

no cons it just make the big bucks acutally get up to chase a doe instead of layin there seein one walkin 5yds doin his business adn layin bak down

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

does are rut bait. last year i shot up the local does and then sat there in my stand during the rut and wondered why i didn't see any rut activity. regardless, i shoot does early on to get the pressure off and to get some venison in the freezer. any year i get a couple does with my bow i consider a successfull season.

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

i wish i had the kind of ratios you guys did.

Pro: definite confidence booster

CON: in the main area i hunt the bucks are currently almos outnumbering the does. if i take out to many the bucks will travel outside my area to fd does. (they probably would anyway but id like to have that initial hold during the early phases)

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

1. Every day a deer eats about 4 lbs of food (roughage weight). If I kill a doe...that's 4 more potential pounds for bucks.

2. If I kill her today...she will NOT breed, this year.

3. Better to sacrifice the death of a few than to rishk the overall health of the many.

4. less does = more competition for breeding. More competition for breeding = bucks on their feet longer during daylight hours searching for them.

5. Areas with a high density of does do NOT hold many bucks.

6. They taste good.

7. They are plentiful, here.

8. It's rumored that two of them have been molesting children in our neighborhood.

No cons, here.

I will say this.....There is ONE reason not to take a doe, here....and that's if she's in the right place at the wrong time. I'd take a doe VERY early in an evening hunt in a spot I was trying to kill a buck. I'd also take one VERY late, there (on a morning hunt). But if I'm looking for a buck.....she'll get a pass, there. I'd HATE to go stomping through a buck's bedroom looking for a doe I killed. In the above scenarios...for me to kill one....it'll have to be a slam dunk, still. Otherwise....she walks.

Edit: WHile I was typing this.....my driveway sensor went off 5 times (it's also 500' long).

Damn does!:D

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

Thats a good post Jeff, no cons here.

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

cons for the rinky dink section of pa i hunt... Kill one of the very few does that come through my setups, and come rut time thats one less doe for the bucks to chase past my stand..

For example.. I have only TWO does consitently travelling past my stand setup.. so ifI shoot one, then come rut that is one less doe thats home zone is near my treestand.. and we all know the bucks go where the does do during rut..

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

You want a CON, Ill give you a con. I can only shoot one deer! I HATE OUR DNR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

As long as you have an alternative place to hunt on a piece of property, or even a totallylocation/county (meaning away from where you know the buck is you want to kill....like me), I think taking a doe early is best with no cons.

I won't do it in an area where I know the bucks are hanging out due to disruptingor alternating their pattern and possibly pushing the mature one out for good. Then it's back to square one...so basically I won't shoot one by my secret thicket. (Rookie51...don't give up my location) I'll go across the street or to another county to get my meat and confidence.

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

Pro-Quick Easy Meal
Con-Losing a little one next year.

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

Nope, no cons.

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

I'm glad I don't have a con like yours Buckrogers!! Is that one deer only either sex?? ARG...
Does that translate into a good buck to doe ratio and up your chances at a buck??

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

If it helps.....

I took 3 does out of the spot I have killed both my 8-pointers, last season.....and though I'm not proud of it....I stunk that place up, starting opening day last year, on more than one occasion.

Still.....when the rut came.....they were there (the bucks). In reality....if you're hunting a high doe density area....there's a good chance your bucks aren't using that area in the early season, anyways.

Right place......right time. Wrong place....."hardly ever" a "right time .....period.

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

There are no cons to shooting a doe early in the area I hunt.

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

No Cons! Whack em' and Stack em'!

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

I don't see any con's. I think on the pro side that you need to practice like you play i.e. shoot does. I know several guys that won't shoot does because they are holding out for a big one. More often than not these guys wind up missing or making a bad shot when they finally do get a shot at a buck. I don't want to make the term practice sound trival BUT shooting does will help you be prepared to shoot a good buck if and when one comes along. Nothing you can do while practicing truely represents shooting a deer like actually shooting a deer does. IMO that's one of the biggest pro's for shooting does. Of course all of the pro's mentioned so far are valid reason's.

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

You ain't lying.;)

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

1. Depending on where In the woods you shoot the doe and where she runs to can screw things up with all the intrusion. In good buck hunting area's In the woods I won't shoot a doe till late In the year otherwise I know It's going to screw up my buck hunting.

2. I don't go for that analogy of shooting a doe thus your taking out at least 2 deer. Where I hunt there's too many doe's that don't get bred. We need more bucks In my area to breed the doe's. So no that's not a con to me.

That's nuts!!

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

PRO...because I normally do and it makes me feel "GREAT"

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

A problem we have in the area I hunt (SW MI) is hunters choosing to wait until the late season. They say they don't want to take a doe early because it will screw up their chances of getting a buck. So they pass does early, kill a buck or two, and then don't hunt the late season. It's either too cold, it's the holidays, the freezer is already full, etc. If more does were killed in the early season, I think we might actually make a dent in the overpopulated areas.

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

PRO 1 less doe to hit with my truck...... or your truck for that matter......

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

I've said it before.....You're either part of the solution....or part of the problem. I have NO issues with people who hunt bucks, exclusively...but if you're living in an a rea laden with does.....do the right thing and take your share.

If you don't have an overpopulation problem.....and you STILL take multiple does.....you're part of another problem.

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

Con - If you increase the buck - to - doe ratio and increase the fighting for that Doe, will there be more injuries/deaths to bucks?
Expend more valuable energy to survive the winter, etc...
Albeit a small con, but something to consider by tossing it in the ring?

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

PRO - fresh backstraps, baby!!

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

Yeah there will always behunters that complain, but do nothing to help. There arehunters that concentrate on bucks until after the rut and then take their fair share of does. So it's not everyone. Most of the hunters I talk use this as an excuse. They have no intentions of shooting does. They say they will wait until the late season so everyone assumes they will do their part later. Usually doesn't happen.

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

For a guy who's limited to one tag now, since 1.2 million deer aren't enough in the state ....

Pro: You have meat in the freezer and are proud of your accomplishment.

Con: You're done for the year and forced to wander around your pro-shop talking about next year and that buck while everyone is out hunting.

RE: Lets Start a Debate.
 

I have a good friend who manages his farm very carefully and Schultzy's responseis precisely the reason he told me why he only shoots Does late in the season. If a person had tons of land then I could see it being different, but when you are on a relatively small parcel, it doesn't take much disturbance to bump the bucks away.