Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

I need to get a doe before I can arrow my buck. The first opportunity I was presented was a large doe standing over her bedded fawn. I let down after drawing on an easy shot because I didn't want to be responsible for the fawn starving to death. Then on the drive home I thought about the practical side of hunting. Hunting is done for the purpose of thinning the herd so the strong have a better chance of surviving the winter. Hunters are really substitutes for the natural preditors that are no longer around to keep the population in check. Maybe I should have taken the shot.

Have you guys/girls ever been in this situation? What would you have done?

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

yes, i will take the mother. unless there other adult doe's to take.

jeff greene

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

Nope!!! I'll wait for the next doe to come along!

"Nocked,cocked & ready to rock"

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

I've heard various accounts that truly orphaned fawns will be adopted by another doe. I think I'd consider it. On the other hand, by time season opens here I believe the does are starting to ween their fawns, so the fawn would already pretty well know what it needs to know. Nevertheless, if conscience bids otherwise, don't shoot it.

God bless,
Brandan

[Deleted]
 

[Deleted by Admins]

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

fbf,

Absolutely no way!
It would bother my conscious too much.
I don't need any deer that bad.
Besides, I'm hunting a Boone & Crockett Buck.
Not concerned with taking a doe, anyway.


Sag.

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

My season starts this mid Sept. With 3.5 months to bowhunt, I'll wait til Oct.

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

On some hunts I have shot the doe, and others I have shot the fawn...and still others, I've shot both. So my answer is...I guess it would depend on the situation, and how I felt that day. I agree that by the time most hunting seasons come in (Oct) the fawns can fend for themselves. I will say that even though I usually run into this exact situation every year, whatever decision I make, I still feel a little sad(maybe it's called humanness).... but does need to be taken, that's for sure.
I guess its all a part of hunting, and only you can decide what you want to do. Either way...don't feel bad about your choice.

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

Great, another moral situation to consider. In my preseason scouting I saw a Doe and a fawn so I have been thinking about this. That is a tough one. It is good to know that most fawns can support themselves though.

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

No way I could shoot a doe with a fawn. Sounds to me like
you did the right thing letting down...since you're still
thinking about it.

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

no problemo...
stick her!
meat for the freezer.
the fawn can definitley take care of itself by August
if it can't- it shouldn't...
Only The Strong Survive!
Survival of The Fittest!
Suck it Up Gentlemen- It's Hunting....

CaptJack
Be a better Hunter - Get a better Shot

Edited by - CaptJack on 09/13/2002 22:53:09

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

i agree with capt. i'm there to put meat in the freezer.i'd shoot the fawn too. i'v done it on many hunting trips.if its brown its down.

tracey moore

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

I'd taken the doe, why because she was an opportunity to help the overall herd. On top of the fact I enjoy venison, and have my own family to feed. Plus from what I understand, and often seen fawns alone later in the season. Doe will run off their fawns come breeding time, and at that point I believe they are pretty much on their own feeding and caring for themselves anyways.

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

I personally have passed on the situation several times, it just did not feel right at the time. But that was a personal call - one each of us must be prepared to make every time we step in the woods. I think there are good reasons for either taking the doe or letting them walk. Bottom line - if you don't think you should release the arrow at that point in time, you probably should not.

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

It would depend on the size of the fawn. Most fawns are weened by the time hunting season rolls around and are almost as big as mom and a buck will come along to breed with mom and force the fawn away anyway. If thats the case then yes I'd shoot the doe. I have also seen a small red and spotted fawn as late as November, in this case I'd pass on the mom because she's obviously not finished raising junior.

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

Only if the fawn was out of bow range!!! Just picking. I would if the fawn appeared big enough to fend for itself.

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

Well there is no way would shoot a doe with her fawn standing there and i never really shot a doe onces i did but did not find her i had a chance to shoot a doe at 25 yards last year draw back the bow and let it down because i did not want her but now sents u can take more deer this year i will shoot that doe but not with a fawn around ...



good luck and keep them in the bull's eye


al in bowmansville ny

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

Thanks for the responses ... keep em coming. I'll add a little more to the story.

I had another shot opportunity at a smaller doe about 10 minutes later. As I drew the bowstring back, the arrow fell off the rest. LESSON LEARNED - IF YOU LET DOWN ON A SHOT, MAKE SURE THE ARROW IS STILL NOCKED FOR YOUR NEXT SHOT!

The doe was still standing there after the arrow fell to the ground so I reloaded. I was still hunting at the time and had my camo shirt opened so I wouldn't sweat too much. She was angled away from me and my bow string hit my opened shirt sending the arrow to the left about a foot. I had the distance perfect and the arrow flight was great. Hey, that's hunting. No venison but alot of memories that day.

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

I would prefer not to, mainly because I don`t want to see the little bugger trying to get mommy to go along. Not sure about everywhere else, but here in PA it is hard to find a doe without a fawn, she might not have the fawn or fawns right next to her, but more than likely she has fawns. By the time october rolls around, they are good to go on their own, anyhow.

NRA,UBP,BASS Member
New Stanton,PA

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

Where I live no!! If I lived in an area where you had to shoot a doe before you could shoot a buck, YES!!! There must be a huge over population in your area so I would take her for sure.


Edited by - ILL BUCK on 09/14/2002 04:44:30

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

The only way I would shoot her is if she looked like she needed to be put down.

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

Yep. All tastes the same in the frying pan.

Those who wish to appear wise among fools, among the wise seem foolish.
Marcus Fabius Quintilianus (35 AD - 100 AD)

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

Not me I will let her walk. I just feel it would bother me to much.


Brian

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

True fawn, no! Yearling, yes!

Research has shown that yearlings survive just fine.

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

if you can do a quick clean kill and feel good about it then yes otherwise observe there is more to hunting then taking one down being out there is one. good luck

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

Yes there is no reason not to. The fawn is old enuf by now to be on its own and should not be the reason not to harvest the mature animal.

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

I YES I WOULD SHOOT THE DOE. THE FAWN SHOULD BE OLD ENOUGH TO TAKE CAR OF ITSELF AND ANYWAYS IT WILL PROBABLY FIND OTHER TO HANG OUT WITH, SO YES I WOULD TAKE IT.

IF MONEY CAN'T BUY YOU HAPPINESS, YOUR SHOPPING AT THE WRONG STORE.

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

I'd shoot her, the fawns are alright on thier own.

Some things are true whether you believe them or not.

[Deleted]
 

[Deleted by Admins]

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

Oh boy. There is no good reason not to shoot, and in fact you probably would be doing the deer population good in most areas. Which is the reasoning I used last year when I took a doe with 2 fawns in Oct. Then I had to chase the fawns away twice. <img src=icon_smile_sad.gif border=0 align=middle> Talk about putting a downer on my first bow kill. A year later I know I did the right thing, but probably wouldn't do it again.

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

First good clean shot offered and I'd place an arrow in the mother Doe. I can't think of any logical reason not too. That doesn't mean that the future of the 6 month young'un wouldn't be on my mind,......but the little one will have been weaned (in Michigan anyway) by this time and been fending for its own food and drink for awhile. But to each his own. Everybody that holds back a string or a safety must make up their own mind.

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

Yep, I would. I'm sure the little one would be fine....IF he could avoid being hit by a car! Seems to be happening more and more around here!

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

We're in a similar situation in MD--2 of the first 3 deer MUST be antlerless. Many hunters try to get their does &quot;out of the way&quot; so that both bucks tags are available. Since fawns are weaned by Aug., killing the mother doe doesn't doom them, but it does make them more susceptable to preditors and other hunters since their protector and educator isn't there. I could do it--but I have held off many, many times!

Today's small bucks are tomorrow's trophies.

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

shoot the fawn. save the doe, the fawn will be the one least likely to servive the winter. if you truely want to help the herd shoot a doe fawn.

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

No.
Unless the fawn looks mature enough to fend for itself I would leave her be and wait for another doe.

http://www.geocities.com/plgilman/Woods_Wizard.html



For info. on hunting in North Georgia, ask the Woods Wizard.
http://www.geocities.com/plgilman/Woods_Wizard.html

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

SWOP......she is a gonner!

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

You did good by not shooting that doe. It's part of being ethical. There are plenty of deer out there. I bet you'd probably have your tag filled.
<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
I need to get a doe before I can arrow my buck. The first opportunity I was presented was a large doe standing over her bedded fawn. I let down after drawing on an easy shot because I didn't want to be responsible for the fawn starving to death. Then on the drive home I thought about the practical side of hunting. Hunting is done for the purpose of thinning the herd so the strong have a better chance of surviving the winter. Hunters are really substitutes for the natural preditors that are no longer around to keep the population in check. Maybe I should have taken the shot.

Have you guys/girls ever been in this situation? What would you have done?
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

I think I can count on one hand the number of times during the last 5 years that I've had a mature doe come by that didn't have a fawn. Last year I shot a big doe on Friday of the first week of our bow season that had a pair of fawns. I hunted the next Monday over a waterhole about 200 yards from where I killed the doe and guess what came by? Her two fawns, frolicking, making all kinds of racket. When I realized they we're both fawns, and they might've been hers, I was a little saddened, but then I realized that they we're getting along fine I had a ball watching them. So, yes, I'll still take a big doe with little ones.

PBB

Pick a hair.....or a caruncle!!

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

How do ethics have anything to do with killing a doe who has fawns, KC?
I take it you don't kill many does!
If you have killed a doe in the early part of the season The odds are pretty good it had a fawn (whether YOU saw it or not!!!)
I'll bet the guilt is killing you!
Thats right, Most of them have fawns so If your not taking them then you do a disservice to the herd.
I'll tell you Animals get more rights every year, pretty soon well have to transport them to the butcher in a car seat! Ha!
Give me a break!
Wait a minute PETA is knocking down my door!
They can't stand hunters like me. How dare I kill a doe that has a fawn, shame!!!

RE: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?
 

It just doesn't seem right!