RE: Is there ANYONE on here that will absolutely NOT shoot a DOE?
 

I am a hunter of all kinds............I would never kill anything I was not going to eat. That is why I asked the question.

Glad to see someone is enjoying the bounty of your harvest ;)


What does that mean exactly?

RE: Is there ANYONE on here that will absolutely NOT shoot a DOE?
 

it sounds like our zone is going to be earn a buck which kinda sucks becaus almost everyone i know shoots doe(s) (for 3 step) last year i shot two doe(s) myself and my cousin shot one. we had a few ppl miss some too but i dont mind shooting em. if we are an earn buck unit im droppin a doe fawn if i can. whats the diff. if shes 1/2 year old or 3 yrs old, just the tenderness.

RE: Is there ANYONE on here that will absolutely NOT shoot a DOE?
 

SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !


I agree that makes them more vulnerable due to the need to raise the little ones they must engage in more risky behavior............she will however head for the hills if danger is present........little ones or not.


Again probably from necessity out of reason #1


Mature bucks are VERY curious don't ya think?? After all they are the ones responding to grunts, rattles, scents, scrapes and signs of possible intrusion by another buck. Heck I would say curiosity is any whitetails downfall............I would have thought you would say cautious instead of curious. I think younger deer will react and come take a peek at someone calling or laying scent no matter how poor their technique may be............as they get older they become more discriminant and are not gonna be seen by the "more is better" crowd that is out there rattling for 2 hours non stop and dumping Code Blue out by the gallon.

On more then a few ocasions I have seen bucks in a field not get uptight no matter how skittish the other younger deer are...........but when they see an older doe go on alert they know something is up and usually the white flags are waving a couple seconds later.


BTW..........I agree that a mature buck is harder to kill then a mature doe. I just don't think it is because they are any wiser. I think it is because the doe is handicapped with tasks the bucks need not concern them selves with.

RE: Is there ANYONE on here that will absolutely NOT shoot a DOE?
 

I don't consider that curiosity - they know (or think they know what is making the sound / smell) and are responding to their instinctive sex drive. This IMO is a mature bucks only weakness. But even then they often come in downwind or with caution. But yes they can and do make mistakes.

A doe will often see/smell/hear something that is pecular to her and come closer to investigate. A mature buck IMO will not. If he doesn't know what it is he is gone.

RE: Is there ANYONE on here that will absolutely NOT shoot a DOE?
 

I'm saying that people don't hunt merely to put food on their tables. I hunt because I love the challenge, the preparation, the pressure, the anticipation, the pursuit. If I didn't enjoy these parts of the hunt I would not hunt at all. It's not about the meat for me. I doubt that it is ONLY about the meat for anyone. If it is, then I would also question their reason for hunting. Why spend all the time when it's cheaper to buy beef anyway. In the end, to each their own.

RE: Is there ANYONE on here that will absolutely NOT shoot a DOE?
 

I had a hard time getting used to killing does again, but I had no choice when MD made that the law before you could take a 2nd buck. Also, I began hunting a military installation that required us to shoot 3 does before a 2nd buck could be taken.. and I was put on 3 crop damage permit lists . . . meaning I could only use those for does. I've been a trophy hunter for the last decade or so and won't shoot any immature bucks--and even the mature ones must have at least 8 points to make my "possibles" list.

But does now are simply a requirement. I only shoot mature does. I see PLENTY of large, alert, and very cautious does travelling by themselves. I have even targeted several SPECIFIC does over the years that I wanted. One was a huge, single doe with a bad back leg. I saw her for several years and never was able to harvest her. Another one was a giant, red colored doe which also didn't have any young 'uns with her. Didn't get her either. Both of these does were very smart and elusive and seemed to be able to discern human scent from upwind!

Big, mature does are very hard to take. It's true that there are far more of them, but that's one of the REASONS we need to take them.

RE: Is there ANYONE on here that will absolutely NOT shoot a DOE?
 

I think we are both saying the same thing only with different words.

Curious, cautious, aware, smart, crafty, nervous........they are all of them at varying levels or at the same time.

I think there is a definate difference in an older does behavior.........maybe not to the level of a mature buck but they are no dummies either.

RE: Is there ANYONE on here that will absolutely NOT shoot a DOE?
 

Everyone loves the aspects of hunting you listed..........however, every single thing you listed can be achieved with a camera as opposed to a weapon. I want and need venison and the only way I can get it is to kill some deer..............if I had no use for the meat what would be the point in killing them??


Of course not...........I guess I just don't see the point in killing something if you don't want or need it's meat.


You would question someone's reasons for hunting if they did it totally for the meat............but you found it strange when I questioned your hunting totally NOT for the meat??

BTW it is not cheaper to buy beef.........venison tastes 100 times better.......it is natural.......free roaming.......drug, antibiotic and hormone free........and lowest in fat and cholesterol then any other mainstream meats.

RE: Is there ANYONE on here that will absolutely NOT shoot a DOE?
 

IMO the old girls know their stuff pretty darn well. 90% of the woods I hunt are state forest that get POUNDED by hunters and I am truely impressed with any deer that can survive the gauntlet of archery, gun and muzzleloader seasons especially with all the relentless drives put on by the locals.

You simply CAN'T survive that assault more then one year on luck alone. ANY deer I see in the woods 2 1/2+ got that way by knowing what is coming.....when it's coming.......and where to hide when it hits the fan.

I don't consider taking a mature doe as easy..........lord knows I have been busted by more then a few old gals through the years :(

RE: Is there ANYONE on here that will absolutely NOT shoot a DOE?
 

we have been up and down this road before. I really don't understand why someone wouldn't shot a doe. I guess I do understand "old timer" ideals and be brought up that way or even a personal feeling. I am not going to say that it is wrong - to each his own. However, I would like the non-doe hunters to at least ackknowledge that there is a purpose to shooting doe (management reasons, herd dynamics, etc.)? As long as they know that there is a point to it (and not just shooting poor mama deer). I will also say that not everyone has to shoot doe to achieve the those management goals. for eveyone that doesn't take a doe there are propably several that do. I will also say that I have passed on many doe over the years (usually mama with a young one or 2). That's just me and if the freezer was low enough - mama would probaly go in it.