I just couldn't do it.....
 

I went out this afternoon and got in my stand about 4. I had been hearing things all afternoon hoping that they would be deer then to find out that they were just squirrels messing around. At about 5:45 i heard something from the East and sure enough it was a doe. I was telling myself that today if I saw a doe i was gonna take her because it would be my first bow kill, let alone my first deer so i was excited. After she crossed the creek about 10 yards from my shooting lane, 2 fawns came up behind her. At this point she was turned around waiting for them to catch up. After seeing this i was contemplating the shot keeping in mind never shooting a deer before. She came into my lane broadside at about 15 yard with the 2 fawns close behind. I raised my bow into shooting position and I just couldn't do it. I had that 15 yard shot for about 20 minutes and just sat there and did nothing but watch. Finally they walked away leaving me with a bittersweet feeling. I felt good because I didn't take momma away from her babies but i felt dissappointed because I could have taken her but didnt. She was a biggen too. What would yall have done?

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

congrats kill it n grill it in my opinion you did the right thing and I know that I would have done the same thing shooting does with fawns in my opinion is not right fawns need there mothers to show them the ropes before they can survive. so that next year they can be fair game(tasty game)

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

imo you did the right thing, i go for solatary does or does with yearlings, a doe with fawns will be easy to tell by the size, her fawns should be much smaller. a single deer by itself is usally the toughest to judge, the does will be running the young ones off soon, because she'll be ready to breed again. i know this probably dosent answer your question but i say you made the best choice, your first one will come soon though......


best of luck the rest of the season

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

Well, I'll be the bad guy I guess. Rut is going to be starting in two weeks, give or take. At that time momma will be literally kicking the fawns away from her. I would have taken the shot.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

Everyone's different, but I would have taken the shot. The fawns would have been yearlings, and, as was stated above, would be out on their own within 2 weeks anyway. They pretty much know the ropes already. But hey...I did the exact same thing a few years back and passed, only to learn later that the yearlings would be on their own anyway really soon, and that they really didn't need momma anymore. She would be kicking them away to go breed again soon, anyway. You made the right call, though, if you felt like you didn't want to take the shot. I now regret not shooting at that doe a few years ago, but its a lesson learned and it formed for me a new standard in what shots I will and will not take...which is a good thing...I know now that if that shot presents itself tomorrow, I'll take the doe. That experience helped me develop more of my hunting code.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

She'd be cut up and in the freezer by now.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

I wouldn't have shot her. I would have shot the two fawns.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

IMO i would have held off too. for 2 reasons. first, like stated above, i think the fawns still need there momma to help em survive as long as possible. the second reason is the rut will be here before you know it and the more does you have walkin around you means more chances for mr. big to be following one. just my 2 cents. tough decision though, i've been there and i did the same thing by holding off on the shot. ;)

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

To each his own:) IMO if you feel good about the decision not to shoot her you made the right decision. Hunting IMo should be done for one's own self. With that said I'd have taken her. The fawns are no longer fawns at this time of year. There skippers and perfectly capiable of surviving on their own.

Either way I'm glad you feel good about the decision.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

I would have taken her. Like everyone else already said she will be kicking out her fawns within the next few weeks anyway. Plus the less does during the rut the more a buck has to search for one, which means more of a chance he is going to wonder by your stand.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

I'm sorry but this ain't Bambi, by now the fawns are self reliant so they don't need thier "momma" anymore. I would have and have taked this very same shot. But to each his own.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

Everyone hunts for different reasons, but if you were guaranteed that those two yearlings would be okay if you had taken their mother, would you have shot? Adams is right...those "babies" are no longer babies. They'll survive and be just fine. Also, if you orphan a button buck, good chance he'll stay in your area and make it his home. Damned if you do, damned if you don't, right?

Don't worry about it...you'll get many other chances to bag a deer w/ your bow.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

IMHO, I would have shot the doe. Every doe I see during hunting season has fawns with her, so it would be very tough for me to find one on her own. For those of you who say the will be kicked out in 2 weeks, in my experience even during our regular gun season Thanksgiving week, the does still have fawns with them.
I agreee with the general consensus though that if you feel good about the decision then you made the right one. We are all different and as long as we are safe and legal it is our choice to make. Nobody else has to live with it after that fact.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

I had the same situation Saturday morning. A doe and her 2 fawns came in around 7:45. They did not give me a shot, but if the shot was there I would have taken it. HOWEVER.....everyone is not the same. Hunting is different for each person. If you feel you did the right thing, then you were right to let them go. I get excited just seeing deer in the woods. I am of the mindset you don't have to harvest a deer to have a good day in the woods!!!;);)

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

Don't shoot anything that you will regret later. Walking up to a mistake on the ground is tough and unlike fishing you can't "release" it. I saw a fawn with spots on Saturday and no doe to be seen. December is a fine time to take the does. They tend to be concentrated at food sources and that makes it easier to pick out "grandma". It sounds like you made the right choice for you. That is what matters.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

Everyone is diffrent bro. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer. I did have a buddy that had the exact same scenario that you did except he shot the mamma. He said that the whole time he was gutting her, the two fawns were about 25 yards away in the bushes watching him do it. He had to chase them off so he could finish. He swore as long as he lived he'd never do that again because he felt so bad.

No worries, more deer will come and you will get your shot!

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

she woulda been shot if i was behind the bow!!

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

I run into this quite a bit each season. For me, it usually comes down to the actual situation, and what I have going on outside of hunting, as to whether I take the shot...and which one(s) I take. I have taken does with fawns, I have also taken does and fawns together. Last week I had 3 fawns and 2 does come by at 15yds. I chose to pass all, mainly because I didn't have time to fool with a deer that day. I will say though, I notice myself to have gotten a little soft over the years and tend to let more does walk if they have fawns. I'd personally rather shoot a yearling that has not had fawns yet, if I have the choice. Bottom line, like others said....do what makes YOU happy. :D

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

LOL, they are pretty tender, aren't they?:)

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

i'm proud of you....i have had plenty of oppurtunities, but if they are with fawns, it's just not right...

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

I don't let the fact that she's a mother persuade my decison. Sometimes a lone doe really has a yearling or 2 in the distance so that can't be use as a determing factor. If you want to take a doe, ya gotta realize she could have yearlings around, and they are very capable of taking care of themselves at this point.. Heck for my first deer I shot a yearling!! After 3 fruitless seasons, it was a huge relief and I was as proud as if it were a big buck! It was a trophy for me.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

I had momma and 2 tiny fawns under my stand this Sat morning for about a half hour. It was a pleasure to watch. I didn't even consider drawing on her - rut coming or not. Call me a softy - I won't kill a doe with fawns.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

For a few years now, I have let them go as did you. But after talking with many others on the subject I've decided to shoot away. If the fawns haven't learned the area, food sources and escape routes good enough yet....they won't at all. You don't certainly think they spend 100% of the time with mom, do you? She's off doing her thing and they are off doing theirs. Someone eluded to the fact they don't want to shoot mom....would you not shoot dad if he walked by? Come on!! We are living in a day and age where we need complete families. ;)

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

I cant do it,I have watched to many young ones and mom wash each other play tag and stuff over the years. call me a softy if you want.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

Kill-it!

I'm afraid I'd of done the same thing ,I have a problem with taking a doe away from her young as well ,doesn't matter if it's my first or not .
As far as I'm concerned you can still chalk her up since you had her if you wanted her ,you just chose not to.Way to go ,and I'm glad I'm not the only one who feel's like you did about this situation.

nubo

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

Well, if you die tomorrow you screwed up big time! If you make it through the night there will be other chances. I think you did the right thing. I figure if the fawns are still hanging with mom and she is waiting up and tending to them shooting her isn't the thing to do. On the brighter side you have turned the corner hunting wise. You have watched three deer at point blank range for 20 min. and have gone undetected. That is importatnt stuff. I have always thought that getting the draw was the true test because after that step it all gets easy. I bet your heart was pounding out of your chest and you felt like you had held your breath for 2 min.?

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

Been there done that! I've let them walk and I've taken the shot.

Where are you hunting? I hunt in an area that is literally crawling with Does and fawns. So far this year I've let them walk. It will change either this weekend or next because the rut will be starting around the first week in November.

And finally, I believe its Petersens Bowhunting's latest magazine that has an article on "Which Doe to Shoot". It says if you take a doe that has a buck fawn with it, that the fawn will stay in the area. But if it's run off during the rut, it possibly won't stay around while it grows up.

Sounds like you made the right decision for you at that time. Next time who knows? And depends where you live, in a couple weeks, the fawns and does won't be together so she'll be fair game.

Good luck this season.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

I wouldve let it walk too but you know some idiot during gun season wont think twice about it and shoot it. I would pass it up because i like seeing does when im hunting. Id rather see 1 or 2 does then not see anything at all.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

I agree too, just like what Cardeer said.... I'd let it walk.

I had a chance at a small yearling doe about 2 weeks ago or so. The cute li'l thing didn't even know I was there about 25 yards away. Don't get me wrong.... I mean, I really had to restrain myself from drawing on her, but I chose to let her walk on by. I remember saying to myself as I watched her walk by, "It's okay honey, you go on. Go on get your Daddy for me". ;)

Butch A.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

remember stats show that if you harvest a doe who has young ones with her the young ons tend to stay in that area upon growing older. Because they are familiar with that area. and if she has 2 fawns a good chance one is a buck, killing that doe would almost guarentee that that buck stays in your hunting area instead of going off on his own

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

I've taken the shot and I've let them walk. It depends on the time of year, the amount of deer I've been seeings, the amount of meat in my freezer, etc.

[Deleted]
 

[Deleted by Admins]

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

Double lung bye bye doe IMO. The "fawns" (yearlings) will live to be a momma someday too. It's not like they have emotions about it.... I assure you they will not go back to their beds and mourn the loss of their mother like humans would. Also, it would probably help them grow up and learn the ropes themselves a little quicker. Their instincts as an animal will help them survive just fine.
But, ultimately if making that decision made you happy and you feel good about it, then that's all that really matters. Like someone else said hunting is a matter of personal choices. Good luck on getting your first deer with a bow.
One question though: If you saw a giant 10 pointer walking around with a spike and button buck at 15 yards would you pass?[:-]

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

To me it depends on how old the fawns are. Sometimes I see fawns with does that you can still see the spots on. If the fawns are 2/3 grown however I may take the doe or the fawns either one. All fawns are not born at the same time. Some can be two months younger if they are born late in the year. Besides with four and a half months of bow season there's no need to be in a hurry.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

I side with those who say that you made a good decision in not taking the doe. I have had many familiar chances to take nice sized mother does, but always think it better to just let her walk and give her fawns that little more care they might need.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

Yes, I agree kill it...

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

i think you made the right choice. ive done it about every way, shot does with small yearlings, shot yearlings with mom, shot mom and yearling together but this was in my first several years of hunting and I was not picky about what I chose to take. I'll admit though I have become a softy now in my 6th year of hunting and I let does with fawns walk no matter what time of year I see them or how old they are.
I still think about times Ive shot momma and how the yearlings acted afterwards. Just last year i took what I thought was a lone doe but soon after I shot when I got out of my stand I walked up to her with her 2 yearlings no more than 15yds away just staring at her wondering what was happening. Now days I'd rather just watch them, I dont think theres anything more interesting to watch in the deer woods than a couple yearlings playing around.

RE: I just couldn't do it.....
 

The does need thinned out where I hunt so I will take the shot any time a doe gives me a chance. I've passed up does in the past and then not had good opportunities later.

I guess even "Kill-it-n-grill-its" have soft spots.