I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

I had 4 deer come by my stand tonight. The first one looked like a good size doe. So I thought I would use my final doe tag and be done with it. She comes in at 25 yards and looks dead at me in the tree (While I was standing). So she stares at me for about 3 minutes. She then walks dead away from me and turns at what I thought was 32 yards. So I shot it for 30, because I thought she would be nervous and react faster to my shot. My white feathers (how wonderful they are). Hit the boiler room about as good as I could have hoped. I saw the deer fall down and die. Sweet. Yeah not so sweet, it was a button buck.[:@] Oh well 85% will be ran off by their mother anyway, and I'm still up 3 on my doe to buck count. Anyone else have this happen to them? I looked really hard while it was staring at me, I can't believe I missed the buttons.

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

Ya,
A guy who i hunt with in a CWD zone shot a "doe" or so he thought. He needed to shoot a doe to earn his buck, well he went to gut it and saw it was a buck, looked and found some small button horns. It was ok though because the dnr calls an anterless deer haveing less than 3.5 inches of horns. So it was totally ok.

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

Same thing happened to me on Election Day. I thought I had a nice size doe and when I found "her" the next day I noticed the buttons.

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

Who wasnt it happened to?

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

Hey dont worrie i took a guy hunting for the first time bow hunting, I set him up in a tree and told him that the dear will come from that direction...I headed in the direction of my stand,I was 60 yrd. from him when i heard my name called real loud,( I said to my self,this bone head fell out of the tree) I get there and his bow and bag is on the ground.I sat there for a sec. and here he comes draging somthing out of the brush,he 's yelling..I GOT A DOE,I GOT A DOE....I walk over grab a leg to help drag it in the open and OPPS..It has franks and beans.....This deer dident even have bumps..SO its happens dont sweat it( thats probley the best meat you will eat,The young ones are the best....)

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

Got a doe with a weener this year too. It happens & here its an antlerless deer so it gets an antlerless tag or doe tag whatever you wish to call it. I'm not happy when it happens but dont sweat it much.

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

It's easy to miss the buttons. Their much easier to identify by looking at the shape of the head and overall body posture.

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

Oh yeah, happens to me regularly. They are pretty hard to tell, unless they are REALLY close. Buttons are generally more curious than does, and they are also a little bigger than a yarling doe, which, I think is why we shoot them first, they are a little more valuable because they are bigger.

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

During the late season I've given up looking for buttons. I try and look for the shorter snout... it's a dead give away that it's an immature deer. I don't know too many deer hunters who haven't made the same mistake. Enjoy the veal!!!
Jim B.

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

Yeah last year it happened to me twice. I was kind of bummed but theres nothing you can do about it. The first time, I sat down at the base of a tree and literally 5 seconds later I see deer coming in through brush. I shot the only one I had a shot at and it was a button. The second time was the last day of the season. I can see six sets of legs as they're walking behind some trees. I had about 10 minutes of shooting light and when the first one stepped out I waited. Then the second one stepped out and they were the same size. They were now looking at me so I had to act quick. I figured they were leading the fawns like the first scenario, but I was wrong and got antother button buck.

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

it happens, congrats on the clean kill though :)

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

Instead of looking for buttons try looking at the shape of the head. A button buck will have a flat head while a doe's head will be somewhat round. We all know that mistakes happen but this is just another way to try and avoid it from happening. Good clean kill though nothing to be ashamed of.

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

this has happened to everyone and i've had it happen to often so i decide to only shoot mature does or yearlings not fawns yearlings which are 1 and a half old will usually be a least small spikes and if they do have buttons still they will most generally be very noticeable i know your feeling though its as bad as killing your nice potential 6 0r 8 pointers because with button bucks you just never know

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

Sometimes its real hard to see the buttons. What helps me is to look at the shape of the head. Does have a rounded head with shorter hair. Bucks heads look like they have a big flat spot on top. At this time of the year, if its alone, its probably a button buck. Don't take it to hard, they fool everybody once sooner or later.

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

i know the feeling that has happened to me twice this year,one at fifty yards and one not 12 feet below my stand, i couldn't even tell it was a button buck until i ran my hand over its head

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

Cut the backstraps into thin steaks, season with salt and pepper, quick fry in some hot butter. And you'll be saying holy CRAP those button bucks are tasty.

Seriously I did the same thing this year and felt a little bad, especially knowing the potential of the area. But it was a great hunt, a good hit and a quick kill. I'm not going to feel bad when it goes like that.

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

Happened to me a few weeks ago, I shot a "doe" but killed a button buck...[:@]

I was actually upset about it for a while. It happens though.

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

Happened to me last year. Little button buck about 5 minutes before last shooting light. It came in and would have sworn it was a doe took the shot (18 yards) and low and behold a buck -- thankfully it was given an anterless tag as I had only one more buck tag open and would have hated to have had to use it on the little one.

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

I'm very suprised at the frequency this seems to occur in archery season. Small compact binos may help you guys to further avoid this in the future. Bow ranges it shouldn't be difficult to ID buttons.

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

Yeah, it happens to most hunters at one time or another. Don't beat yourself up about it. Congrats on the deer.

RE: I killed a deer tonight CRAP
 

Yeah i know how you guys feel, this past friday i shot what i thought was a big doe. turns out it was a buck that had already lost its horns.