Last week I had decided it was time to take a doe to put some meet in the freezer. 2 does walked out from behind me and the first one walked into a shooting lane, so I shot her. She ran 40 yards and crashed hard. Well, momemts later I realize that a yearling was with this doe. I felt horrible. The yearling walked over to its mother and just sat and stared at her for about an hour. To make matters worse, when I skinned her, she had milk. I know it is our responsibility to harvest does on ocassion, but after this incident, I don' t know that I ever want to shoot another doe again. Was this unethical on my part?

No.

The fawns at this time of year are able to take care of themselves.

I don' t think so. I had a similiar thing happen a few seasons ago, its not a nice experience but you did nothing wrong.

Most hunting season dates are set up late enough that the youngen' s are old enough to take care of themself. I have shot one doe this year and one doe last year that had two youngens with them, they just stood around and then eventually ran off, i felt bad, but they say they are old enough to fend for themselves.

There is nothing unethical about it. I look at it this way, the does will stay with their offspring throughout the year but they are just members of the group. The young bucks get chased away by the big bucks so the bigger ones can mate with mother. The young does hang around and become part of the group. I think their roles change from mother/fawn to family group. Often the does that travel together are mother and their offspring. The bucks go off by themselves by their second rut, 1 1/2 years old, and do what bucks do.

I don' t think they act like mothers anymore after the fall of the first year. They all have their roles and positions in the group. The does have milk in them for quite some time. I have harvested some in late January who had milk in them when I gutted them. The yealings hanging around is something I don' t like when it happens but it isn' t anything to worry about. You can always just pass on these deer but don' t beat yourself up too much when it happens.

Greg

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You did nothing wrong, I have never had a yearling hang around after mom went down, but they fawns will be fine. As others said hunting seasons are set up to be late enough for the fawns to make it without mom.

No way is it unethical. Might make me feel bad, but I would have done the same thing.

Odds are if there is more than one doe in the group then there is offspring and yearlings present. The yearling will hook up with other does and go on with living just fine. Don' t beat yourself up. Taking does is sound management.

No it' s not unethical, because we are human and you see what transpired it is normal to feel sympathy. It' s the circle of life man, and we humans are at the top of the chain.

I took a doe last weekend that not only had one skipper with her, but two....that' s the way it goes man, they' ll survive mother nature has designed it that way.