Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

Ive always been taught if your going to shoot a doe to eat, never shoot one over 1.5 years old, its alotless meat but it does not taste as good asa younger one.
Anyone else do this?

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

I like the 1.5 Myself. I was told it is better to shot the younger ones a leave the older Does in the herd as they are the teachers. Its not suppost to affect the herd dynamics as bad as taking the older ones.

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

It may not taste the same but it will be close enough for me. If you cook it right you will never tell a difference IMO. But I may just have a really bad pallet.

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

never found a difference except the bigger ones are a better deal lol

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

The people i hunt with forbid me to shoot older does, they sware the taste is a big difference lol:D

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

I will shot any decent sized doe. I do not care about age, just size. This year I shot a big old doe and a big young doe. Both were the same size. The older doe was around 4 years, at my best estimation of teeth. The young doe was about 1.5 years old.

I butcher my own meat, so I see no difference in the taste. I age them the same, and clean the meat real well before I freeze it.

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

I usually shoot younger does. They eat a little better then a big old doe. Also, as someone mentioned, an older doe is proven. She has raised fawns, avoided predators, and made it through winters already and will be better suited to teach that to her fawns...or at least that the theory. Usually when it comes to does I take the first good shot that I get to put one in the freezer.

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

If a doe doesn't have spots I'll shoot.

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

AMEN!!!!!! I have never seen a doe that I did not want to kill!

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

I will shoot what I want for meat age or size does not matter! It all taste the same to me!

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

The only thing I can say about that is, a doe runs her fawns off before they really get time to learn. A fawn will learn the food routs, thats about it. That is why a fawn will always walk out first from stageing areas. A deer learns from the school of hard knocks.

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

If I am going to take a doe for eating, I shoot the one that is giving me the best shot opportunity providing it is full grown.

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

Isay, Kill em' all and let God sort em' out! :D

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

Is it a myth that older does generally produce more doe fawnsthan bucks and younger does generally produce more buck fawnsthan does?

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

Ideally....deer are SUPPOSED to have a 50/50 split and produce twins. Doesnt always happen, but thats the way it is supposed to happen....buck and doe fawn each time she births

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

I look for a "dry doe" for the freezer. It really makes no difference as long as you take a doe or two out of the heard. It is the best thing we can do. Not only does it help fill your freezer but it helps the deer heard general health.

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

All depends on how the winter was in what I have learned. If the deer didn't get enough nutrients over the winter, they will have less fawns. I sure a small amount has to do with Genetics, but I firmly believe it is about nutrition.

I usually try to shoot a doe that is dry or at least a decent size one. When the last day of the hunt arrives though and I don't have any meet in the freezer, anything without spots will do.

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

Who says it "supposed to happen" that way?

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

ishoot both big , small it doesn't matter I don't think they taste that much different maybe a little more tender

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

The past 10yrs I have shot alot of does, especially when we were doing some major herd thinning on our property from 1998-2002. Back when we started, I shot EVERY doe I could, didn't discriminate. The latter end of those 10yrs (past 3-4 yrs)....I try to pick out a doe that is a yearling, with no fawns preferrably if I can. Just my preference, but doesn't always work that way. I usually don't shoot fawns now....gone soft I guess...LOL

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

X2...
It's all in the way you cook it!

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

I bet that you can go to your most expensive steak house, (The Buffalo Chop House for WNYers) and buy a family of 10 dinner for the price it cost you to take any deer.

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

Mother Nature

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

SSSHHHH!!!![:-]

If my wife new how much my hunting and fishing cost she would S#!T herself!

You are very right though...I don't want to even think about how much it figures out to per pound of venison! My fishing habit though is way worse...I made three early trips to Lake O this spring looking for some spring Kings...ended up putting about 15 pounds of fillets in the freezer...keep in mind that this was 3 seperate trips at about $90 worth of fuel per trip to haul the boat and troll all day...That figures out to $18 a pound for salmon and that isn't taking into consideration thelost gear and meals for the trips! Crazy huh!

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

any doe for me

RE: Do you shoot big does or little does for meat?
 

A doe is a doe, I suppose....