Would you shoot a fawn?
 

My 1st season hunting I had a shot on a fawn and let it pass. A friend said I should have taken it and clamed fawn have the best meat. I don't regret letting it pass but I was wondering. If anyone else would have let it pass also or gone ahead and taken it.

Stalker

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

I wouldnt I would rather let em get a little bigger and maybe even breed

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

My first tree stand deer kill with a bow was a first year deer. I hesitate to say fawn...because it wasn't spotted...LOL

It taught me a valuable lesson. Single deer are hard to size from 20' up a tree.:D I thought it was a mature doe, but was mistaken when I walked up to it. Good shot, quick kill...no second thoughts.

That was a long time ago, and now I let them pass. Did eat good, though. All 15 pounds of meat that it yielded.[:@]

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

I wouldnt shoot a fawn, I would let them grow.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

I WOULD HAVE STUCK IT, PLAIN AND SIMPLE AND THATS THE TRUTH

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

Second choice. It's between 160+ and the fawn. Those in between will walk unless I get a hair up my you know what.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

Personally, where I hunt, a fawn is out of the question because there are so many does. I guess my answer would depend on the deer population and quality. But, I must agree........ I have had fawn a friend of mine shot and its unbelievable.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

Shooting spotted fawns? In what state can you do this legally?[:@][:'(][:o] Bobby

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

maybe if i was real hungry

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

I try for a 1.5 year old doe. Still good eating, more meat and no fawns with it.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

Yep!! Been there done that... But than again i'm a meat hunter...Tasty tender meat.....

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

Only in a life and death situation...if it's him or me he's goin down.

Nope! Too many big doe running around to waste a tag on a fawn.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

.......i did she had no spots tho......she was good eatin......first bowkill , first season bowhunting , first trophy with a bow..........can you put a good shot on this little target...;)

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

Never,Good grief with 3 months to hunt deer ,Why????????

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

No, I would not shoot a fawn. Too many big does around to do that.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

Nope not me, never, why would you want to waste a tag on a fawn? I don;t see any reason why anyone would shot a fawn! in my opion it's just wrong, under drastic conditions, like your lost in the wild, you havent eaten in days, yes then maybe, but from just a hunting stand point No never, I don't care how good people say the meat is. But that is just me!

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

No....................Nope.............Aint happenin.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

Nope. I would not shoot a small doe regardless if it was a fawn or not. I have had opportunities to shoot an adult doe and passed as well. That's because she had her two young tagging along. This was early on in the season. My rule is to generally allow them to carry on, but I change that thought when shotgun season begins. During bow season I will only take adult does or decent bucks. It's just as much fun and excitement watching them and allowing them to pass without them knowing your whereabouts.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

I have in the past, I don't know if I'd do it again. I have tons of tags, I butcher my own deer, so its not like its a big put out for little return. I hunt some places where the population needs thinned, so any deer should be shot. Generally I can get enough chances at big does where I don't have to, but an early born youngin' comes by and I'm still meatless, it could be in trouble.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

121553, you can shoot them in VA. There is no specifc law that sates that deer with spots cannot be harvested. Personally, I would not shoot one unless it was badly injured. With the number of deer around I will have no problem taking as many mature deer as I want.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

i wouldn't shoot a fawn, i try to go after those smart mature deer, especially the doe that busted me twice last year[:@]

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

I wouldnt shoot a spotted fawn. Illegal here anyway. I have shot few first year deer without spots. 50 to 60 lbs. These are great eating and darn easy to get out of the woods.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

I won't shoot them. I won't knock someone else for shooting them and especially not someone who has never killed a deer. I just don't personally shoot them.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

NO!!!

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

I know a kid that loves archery and wants a bow kill bad ! He hunts harder than a lot of adult bow hunters ! He had a opportunity at a fawn a couple of years ago , but passed for fear of redicule !
Next year he hunted hard all season and finally got his big chance at a cowhorn ........and he blew a 15 yrd shot ! Shot it for 30 yrds !!

I can't help but believe he would have been better off "shooting" at that first fawn !! He may have killed both, maybe one, maybe none......but I think he would've been better prepared !!

BTW........wasn't me..........I'd have shot it without question ......as my first bow kill !! ;)

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

no........i would let it grow and enjoy life for a couple of years........Man...I am getting so soft!:(:(

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

IMO there is one deciding factor. Spots. I can shoot small deer but I don't shoot spots.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

I agree with Adams, it's all about the spots.

IMO, you are a disturbed individual if you shoot a fawn with spots.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

Brings a whole new meaning to pick a spot when shooting at a deer.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

If its the last afternoon hunt on my last day that I get to bowhunt...and the freezer is still empty...I'll take a yearling for sure. Would rather take something bigger to justify messing up the butchering equipment....but there is no better eating to be had, and that is a fact.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

Absolutely not. Even before I killed my first deer, I passed on fawns. When my oldest son was on his first deer hunt ever, he had a fawn spend the entire first evening under his stand. He could have taken virtually any angle shot at any distance--including point blank . . . and he left his bow on the hook. He was rewarded for waiting by killing a P&Y buck for his first.

They'll never get to be big if you kill them when they're little.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

After reading all of the posts, I think there has been a distinction made between male/female fawns. Taking a mature doe over a fawn (doe) is always better in QDM. But, if it is at the end of the season, and I have doe tags left (that we pay $ for) I will certainly take a female fawn. Shooting does is critical, always take adults if possible, but don't let extra doe tags go to waste when you could be helping the herd. NOBODY should ever be ridiculed for legaly taking the deer of their choice. We would then be stuping toward the "dark side"(antis). I have taken fawns in my earlier years and have not for many years, but have not made doe tag soup either. Buck fawns? Not an option for me. Spots? Well, the spots are usually gone by early Jan.:DIMHO.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

I was named buttonbuckmaster for a reason. If its brown its down:D

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

No I don't shoot fawns and I don't shoot to many does either. I hunt for horns.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

Mammasboy sort of hit onto what I was thinking. There is one main point of this thread that is being left out. What time of the year are you talking about?? Sept or early Oct....then probably not. Late season?(for us in MN I'm talking Nov-Dec), then yes I would shoot a DOE fawn if given the opp. I need to thin out the population anyway, so why not. Waste a doe tag on a fawn someone said? At $12.50 per doe tag, I'll take the hit in the wallet. :D Fawns are most likely the ones that will get taken out by a bad winter and/or predators first. Also someone eluded to that they let doe go if they have fawn(s) in toe. It's my personal opinion that if they have made it to archery season already.....they should be able to make it without mom. If they are doing any nursing, it's not much. Crops and other sources of food are already their main source of diet. They will hookup some other doe if that happens. They will be just fine. Also, how many times have you seen a fawn still with spots during archery season?? I'm sure some have, but I can't imagine not too many have. Spots are long gone by our archery opener.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

If a fawn has spots, or is nursing then I would not. If a fawn does not have spots and I am positive it is a doe fawn, then I would consider the shot. Without positive identification on a button buck vs. doe I would pass on the shot.

There is nothing ethically or legally wrong with shooting a fawn. It comes down to a personal choice. One could argue herd reduction, or herd growth by shooting a fawn doe that has not been bred vs shooting a mature doe that may have been bred. Usually that is not an issue until later into the breeding period of the rut vs early archery.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

Our opener is October 1. I see many spotted fawns each year during early bow season. I have no problems shooting a doe with fawn, but I would never shoot the fawn.

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

a 6 month old doe fawn without spots, yes, great eating, plan on taking one this year if i get a shot

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

Well when I first started bow hunting I had decided that I would take any deer as long as there were no spots as my first.... well long story short, I had a perfect 10 yard broad side on that years deer, no spots, and I could not bring myself to even draw the bow!

RE: Would you shoot a fawn?
 

I have not seen a fawn with spots in quite a while during the season. I probably wouldn't shoot it if it did have spots. I'm soft I guess. Where I hunt we have ample bag limits, so whether I take it or not...really isn't dependant on that, I wouldn't be "wasting" a tag. I would NOT shoot a button buck. I have shot plenty of doe fawns over the years, and will probably shoot more. It really depends on my attitude at that particular time. Sometimes I just don't feel like fooling with them, so they walk. Good eating and easy dragging for sure :D