RE: I couldn' t pull the trigger...
 

I' ve never let fawns be a reason not to shoot momma doe. It' s no big deal if you can' t do it, that' s a personal decision. In my area I' d almost never shoot a doe if I didn' t shoot ones with fawns. Yea sometimes they hang around a bit, but that' s life.

RE: I couldn' t pull the trigger...
 

Call me a softy, but I feel a little remorseful after every harvest. It is part of the reason I prefer to harvest mature animals. They did their thing and are soon to be more susceptable to mother nature anyway.

RE: I couldn' t pull the trigger...
 

I shot a cow Elk a few years ago that had a good size calf with her. She dropped about forty yards from my stand within seconds of the shot. I climbed down from my stand and went to gut her out and noticed her fawn hiding and watching. I felt bad until I ate my first steak.

RE: I couldn' t pull the trigger...
 

I' d have let it pass too. And also, if she raised twins this year, she might raise twins next year, which is good if you have low deer pops. I killed one doe this year and felt bad , because my two and a half year old girl comes out and looks in the back of the truck and says " oh she' s so cute, deer sleeping, wake up deer" and I' m like go back in the house while I wake the deer up and let it go. Makes me consider shooting only bucks.

RE: I couldn' t pull the trigger...
 

I would have dropped her. I feel absolutely no remorse when I kill an animal. I feel bad when I see them dead along the road.

RE: I couldn' t pull the trigger...
 

Personally, I have no problem shooting a doe with fawns. By this time of year they are old enough to support themselves. Besides, they will probably find a new group of does/fawns to hang out with at least until the does run them off anyway. I rarely see does without fawns where I hunt anyway.

RE: I couldn' t pull the trigger...
 

Studies report that " yearlings" have a better survival rate when cut from their mother early. True? I don' t know. If true, why a better survival rate? I don' t know. Maybe learning early to survive gives them an edge. Hard to say.

However, to shoot or not to shoot for the reason as given is the person' s unquestionable right.

RE: I couldn' t pull the trigger...
 

I can' t either. A lone doe, yes, a momma, no.

I guess we' re softies...

RE: I couldn' t pull the trigger...
 

Im right there with you, Id have absoulutly no problem creating some orphans.:D

RE: I couldn' t pull the trigger...
 

Its hard to do for sure sometimes.But almost every doe you see has some smaller deer tagging behind. and if you shoot a lone doe,lots of times it is a button. Up here when you see 3 deer ,usually there a mom and her youngins. and when I see the herds of like 10 plus ,how do you determine which deer belongs to which deer? I would of hardly ever shot a doe if I only shot mature doe alone. But yes it does bother me sometimes.but that is nature. Not only that ,what else really gets me is to watch the young deer play and run around like kids in the fields. I just cant shoot a young deer anymore.