Question on Doe Harvest
 

Guys,

Had a good friend of mine harvest a healthy doe last weekend on the famil farm in North Florida. Respect. She weighed 122 and was healthy.

I had a few friends tell me not to harvest does so late in the season b/c they are already bred. My theory is to take does when you can to keep the population in balance. Thoughts?

I understand she may have been carrying young ones when he harvested her, but still I believe in taking does liberally for the better of the herd overall.

Would like to hear what others think. Good luck this weekend. Only 2 left.

RE: Question on Doe Harvest
 

It is my firm belief that the herd benfits from being in balance. If you have harvested bucks before and did not have the option of picking certain individuals of deer, then your way is, in my opinion, the best way to keep a balanced herd. If you would have had an option to pick nonproductive does, that would have been even better, but sincethere is onlytwo weekends left I would not haverestricted my hunts.

So... congrats to you and your friend.:)

Iassume that the doe did not have fawns that was depending on her skills to survive the winter? If your friend shot the doe from her fawns on purpose, he will be cursed for all eternity. The winter in florida is perhaps not a bottleneck.

RE: Question on Doe Harvest
 

When deer populations are high like they are in my unit, you must harvest doe even if the are already carrying thei young. If the population gets much higher, they will be destroyed for causing to much damage to crops and haystacks. Also desease will take its toll if population gets to high. Mother Nature will even things out if hunters do not.

RE: Question on Doe Harvest
 

Thanks for those 2 intelligent responses, guys. I concur with each of you and feel comfortable about taking does even with 2 weekends left.

The doe had 2 fawns with her, but I have watched that same doe and fawns all season and they are not depending on her. They just followed her all over the place. I have watched the young ones grow, watched them eat wheat and oats we planted, and I gave my friend the "OK" to go ahead with the harvest. The doe needed to be taken and was a healthy deer. Must take the adult does in our area in order for herd balance.

As a side note, we have seen a great difference in rut activity and bucks sighted since we got the property and started harvesting does and letting young bucks walk. We are about 5 or 6 years into a pretty good program and it was a lot of fun watching bucks chase does this fall. I had rarely seen that in season's past.

Thanks guys!

RE: Question on Doe Harvest
 

I don't know if this is the case, but in many northern areas people are begining to shoot WAY to many does. It is absolutely out of hand in my mind and isn't the "only" option for the deer herd. This is in Northern areas. I have no experience with southern areas and again this is JMO....

RE: Question on Doe Harvest
 

I personally don't like to shoot does after the rut, but that's just me. I'm not offended in any way if somenoe else does. That is their choice. I like to take my does in October with my bow and muzzleloader. Once gun season opens I'm pretty much buck hunting. I'm not saying I wouldn't shoot a doe in gun season but I try not to. I do agree that you must take some does.

RE: Question on Doe Harvest
 

Like abortion ,sorta

RE: Question on Doe Harvest
 

Not sure what part of North Florida you are in, but in the panhandle area they are just now in the rut. In early season most of the does have very small spotted fawns with them that won't survive on their own, so there is not necessarily a good time to harvest does unless it is late in the hunting season.

RE: Question on Doe Harvest
 

The fawns are my only concern here. A large part of our harvest isfawns but shooting their doe is a real taboo.I shot a fawn that came alone this season, and it weighed only half of what itnormally would have. I guess that fawns would havelearned enough survival skills this late in the winter, andsaving doesis perhaps in large a matter of tradition.

Is it mating season now? Id thought the fawns were to be born in late spring so that they´d have a good summer ahead of them. When are the whitetail fawnsborn?
Whendo whitetailreject their fawn? Is it when new ones are born?

RE: Question on Doe Harvest
 

Pow ! Does taste the best .
The county I live inrecently raised the bag limit on them to 8 , next year I plan to take as many as I can .

RE: Question on Doe Harvest
 

We generally have too many does down here! East Texas doe seasons are too short, and they are early in the season! I believe that the state's theory on this is to take the does out early, so that when the food supply dwindles in winter, there will be fewer animals!
Might be a good theory, but our winters are not that bad, and not enough does are being taken, to balance the herd!

RE: Question on Doe Harvest
 

Nothing wrong harvesting a mature doe.

RE: Question on Doe Harvest
 

State limits and seasons are set to keep balance. I wil admit taht the deer populaiton in the US has gotten quite out of hand, but I think we should leave the decision making to the Fish and Game department.

RE: Question on Doe Harvest
 

I must say I stronglydisagree with this statement!
Not that Im suggesting that anyone should break the law, but the knowledge about the local deer populations is, or should at least be, greater among land owners and hunters so they are the ones that should be responsible for the tag limit decisions. I am convinced that land owners, lumped together into reasonably large areascan improve local herds in term of numbers, antler size and balance. Im sure you will agree that officials are simply doing their job and must take much larger areas into consideration at the expence of concern to a local situation. Whereas the localhunters know that they are the ones to benefit from good locally anchored management plans and will make decisions accordingly.

Sorry about the highjack.

RE: Question on Doe Harvest
 

In our state the G&F does a good job setting limits. Left to land owners, whats best for their wallet rules. I know from being both a hunter and land owner. Most land owners are good farmers but not experts in game management.

RE: Question on Doe Harvest
 

Like previously mentioned , nothing wrong harvesting a mature doe if the season permits...

RE: Question on Doe Harvest
 

No comment!:)