WV Hunter

I only shoot does and mature bucks now. Since the mature bucks are much fewer, I fill my freezer with 3 or 4 does each year.

I don't have a problem with anyone that chooses not to shoot does....it's your choice. However, I hate to see someone pass every doe, and shoot a pile of young bucks so they can brag about how great a hunter they are....all the while whining about how they never see or get any big bucks.

TURKEY FAN

Ill shoot as many does as the state will allow, however you have to let the does pass to get to the bucks. Shoot the does for cryin out loud, there is nothing immoral, unethical about harvesting a mature doe.

MILLERTIME10

First off, I shoot does when necessary, and I also eat them and enjoy it. But by saying this Atlas, you have never hunted bear or coyotes, or shot a opossum, skunk, coon, or some sort of non game bird and didn't eat it. There are a ton of animals that are hunted and not eaten. But if you can honestly say you have never shot anything that you didn't eat, then I guess you back up what you are saying, if not your point wasn't that strong. I myself enjoy predator hunting and have yet to ever eat one!!!

jafzi

No Way Jose......

I live in North of Mexico and people around here consider unethical to shoot a Doe (Bow or Rifle); even so it is ilegal to shoot a Doe in Mexico.... we don't even have tags for it!.

bowhuntt

At our ranch in missouri we have way to many does the Buck to doe ratio is as much as 12 to 1 so we shoot as many does as possible, missouri allowed us to take as many deer as we could last year on our 6,000 acre place we killed over 300 deer i killed over 80 of those my self about 35 with a bow. i love shooting does they are better eating than bucks and are great practice for when that monster walks up. we donate almost all of that meet to share the harvest which is a charity thing for those less fortunate. shoot does it only helps the herd

Orion in IL

It is NEVER a bad decision, NOT to shoot something.

On the deer management front, yes, maybe is does mean that others have to step in to shoot a few more doe to try to get the herd in balance.

But not every deer hunter is a deer manager - nor do we need to make every deer hunter a deer manager.

Not all of our experiences and opportuntities are the same.

Some of us have ample opportuntities to shoot all the doe we can; others are lucky to see a doe.

Some of us want our hunting experience to be the ultimate challenge and equate this challenge to bagging a monster buck; others find it challenging to shoot anything that is legal.

Some of us feel that it is our responsibility to manage the herd; while others will leave this to other hunters and/or the
DNR.


Is it ok, for a hunter to shoot a doe...just to shoot something, so he can say to his buddies - yeah, I got one last year?
Is it ok, for a hunter to shoot a doe (because he just wanted to shoot something) and then use the excuse that he is helping the deer management?

Only that hunter's heart and mind can make the distinction of what the true meaning of what his actions were at the time.

Agree or not agree, we need to protect both sides of this equation.

We need to continue to educate each other, and not cast aside others who don't do exactly as we do.

If QDM is the path we hunters as a collective choose to go down together, then maybe all states will impose the earn a buck program. I am sure that 100% of the hunters will then follow these laws. (those that do not are not called hunters, they are called poachers).

If QDM is NOT the path that we collectively agree to go down, then the option will be up to each individual hunter, based on his or her choice/opportunity/experience/goals etc.

I'm just glad that we have a few honest and ethical hunters on this board that will admit that they don't shoot doe (and do so, without attacking others and by providing some honest reasons why not to do so.)

With all of this, it really doesn't matter if I shoot doe or not.

Rack-attack

Well said

Roland from Calif.

One of the old time hunters here, so shooting a doe isn't going to happen. Wouldn't matter much anyway because in Calif. you can't shoot does unless you get a special tag and hunt a different area than I normally hunt. Our deer herd continues to decline because of population growth that is taking over all the wintering grounds. Since most deer here are migratory that has a huge impact on them. Besides the mountian lions thin them out for us. I have a small herd that lives around my second home in the sierras and survival rate for fawns is around 60%. No bad weather and plenty of food, but between the dogs and lions they have pretty tough go of it the first year.

atlasman

I have never hunted bear, coyotes, or shot an opossum, skunk or coon. I did shoot a couple birds with a BB gun when I was very young and when my dad found out he made damn sure I never did anything that stupid again [:@] From that day forward I knew that killing something for no reason is something you should not do...........ever.


I had a lot more written but then I realized I was leaving in the morning for a golf weekend in PA and don't want my comments misunderstood if I'm not around to clarify their meaning.

See ya guys on Monday

NorthernHunter

I'll shoot either. I won't shoot a doe early in the season if her young are still with her, but later in the season I will. Basically, I'm happy with shooting does just the same as shooting bucks. A quality deer is a quality deer!