good choice?
 

Im hunting and a doe with two fauns gives me a shot. I decide not to shoot, the fawns looked very reliant. Would they survive w out her this early in the season?

depends why your hunting?
 

for food?
then not worth the risk,
judgement call,
save it for a more worthy doe,

for population control?
then you may be taking out three,

Another doe will adopt the fawns.

I would shoot the doe and then take both fawns while they just stand there looking at their dead mom.

Don't listen to the last two posts.

Those fawns assuming they were born at the average time in the spring are already weaned, and will more than likely be run off if they are bucks by early next month. So they are completely independent by this point. Now yes, you will see female fawns with a more mature doe late in the season. It is possible that this is its mother but more than likely it is a mature doe of no relation since female fawns are often separated from their mothers during the rut.

P.S.
another doe will not adopt those fawns at this time of the year. It is too close to the rut and those fawns don't need milk. They have been weaned. Now, will the probably herd up with another mature doe? Yes. But thats what it would be, a "herd", because that doe would have no maternal instinct toward the two incoming deer.

i think you did the right thing i dont shoot any doe with young fawns. now if there is a big doe with a yearling and a fawn i will shoot the yearling but not the fawn or the big doe

i know its wrong but i lol when i read this

^ Agreed, it gave me a good chuckle as well...

I dont know about whitetail fauns but Here in Utah mulie fauns are fully independant at a year old. Dont take this for granted because I dont know how old they are.

I talked with a biologist last year about population control and such he said that if a doe has a button buck following her its fine to shoot the doe and that the young buck will stay within the homerange of his mother, when a doe runs off a male fawn he usually seeks his own territory not always but often. as someone else said fawns and does usually get seperated during the peak of the rut according to him.just my second hand $.02

Thank you guys i appreciate the input. I think i made the correct decision.

I had the same opportunity as you, I drew back and everythign on the big doe. But in the end i just couldnt do it. I let them go and live another day, I guess it just coem down to what u think in the end. Would they have survived? probably but i juts couldnt get my self to release the arrow on their mother...in the end it just coem down to what u think...

It's really up to you!

Biologically the fawns are yearlings and they are weaned and can live without Mom. If they were button bucks, they will be chased off shortly.

If you would feel bad or guilty, then you did the right thing

Around our area if we didn't shoot doe's with fawns we would never shoot a doe! This years fawns would be just fine, and like someone else said you shoot the adult doe your buck fawns will stay in the area. Anytime we see a doe with a buck fawn we take her out and it shows in our area. Even during spring and summer those old swamp slut doe's will run the bucks out of an area.................so take em out!

Wow it always amazes me by how many hunters know very little about the animal they are hunting... Why do you think seasons are set when they are set?? They are set by wildlife biologists and managers and are set in accordance to ethical harvest of a species to allow for the species to be managed and benefit from the harvesting. You really think youd be allowed to shoot an animal in a regular season if its babies were going to suffer and die?? NO. Fawns are no longer dependent on does well before the season starts... Now weather you wanna harvest that doe as a hunter is a choice call not a judgement call as to weather the fawns will "make it". I have no problem shooting does with fawns. Never thought twice about it. If I waited to harvest a doe with no fawns it would be pretty frustrating trying to find a couple to shoot each year haha. Maybe its just the wildlife management and ecology backround in me but I look at hunting from alot of different angles when it comes to harvesting.

If the fawns do not have spots then the doe gets whacked.

Calm down there wing chaser it was a simple question i suppose not all of us have your back ground?, i appreciate the input. I am more worried about the fact that the mother is a body guard at this point not as a food source.

Sorry. I'm not worked up and you have every right to ask and educate yourself on the subject. Its not your question but the fact that people throw out info on subjects they don't have a clue about gets irritating. Rant over, lol.

I would have taken the shot. The doe i shot 2 years ago had a fawn with her. It was a button buck, i know for a fact he made it through deer season. I saw him the last day of muzzleloader. He was always in the same general area it seemed. I'm with bigbulls, if there isn't spots i let her fly. I don't get many opportunites for a shot, so i take what i can get. I hunted 40 plus days last year without a single shot. Hopefully this year will be better.