sky_guy_61

Man, I was on my way to the hunt yesterday morning (in the dark) thinking about getting a tasty fawn.. and then next thing I know I had to hit the brakes because there was a fawn in the road. I could have knocked it over with my car, but couldnt do it.

I wound up shooting a nice doe that morning. I am not saying I would not shoot a fawn.. maybe if it was my first chance to get meat for the season. It is not easy to hunt public land.. I have never bagged more than one in a season. Since I have already gotten one I think I would pass on a fawn the rest of the season.

Gundeck

Just my opinion, but we have a small section of woods in front of the house. It is home to two doe and three fawns. We don't disturb them. Next year, maybe.

Canned Heat

I've taken does that were pretty small on 2 occasions. Both last days of the season with nothing to show for it. I took them and didn't feel real great about it but knew I had meat in the freezer and was doing some good to thin our deer populus. The previous poster that mentioned taking "spotted deer" being illegal is not the case here in WI. Per WI DNR:

Note:

open deer season, however, to keep the antlers or spotted hide the hunter must

contact a Warden within 7 days of tagging the deer and request written authorization.

The spotted hide and velvet antlers may not be sold or transferred to another

person. Albino and white deer may not be harvested without prior written authorization

from the DNR (albino and white deer may be harvested and possessed in the

CWD DEZ,

the DNR within 7 days of tagging the deer to obtain a Possession Authorization

Receipt to retain possession of the deer).

No. I would likely pass on anything that had spots.

Moebedda

I'll never shoot a moma doe with her little ones again. To many times the little ones stay bout 40 yards away from thier mom waiting for her to get up. It's almost sad.

So I'll shoot a yearling now. The mature doe will not stick around and the other yearling that was with here will follow the mature doe. Easier to drag, clean butcher and they taste better.

OR

If you see a Doe with 2 button bucks, you best be killing the doe. Those bucks won't get booted off of thier home area with the mother dead and you'll have 2 more bucks hanging around the next year.

refross

That is also what I would do, but what's the story about the bucks not getting booted off? Do the does run the bucks off?

superstrutter

[/align][align=left][/align][align=left]Don't know about other states, but it is illegal to take spotted fawns in Louisiana, any day.[/align][align=left][/align]

Cruise J.D.

Yep. It is designed to reduce inbreeding. The mother doe will run off a male offspring eventually.

travisville

I took a doe this year without seeing the fawn. Where I hunt if the winter doesn't getthe fawnsthen the wolves will they don't have the mental ability to survive on their own. If I would have had another tag I would have shot the fawn too because it wouldn't go away. I'm gonna try avoiding that situation as often as possible because it's pretty sad. Hopefully my neighbors will be lookin for a tasty fawn this year cuz they're good meat hunters.

ReDoT

its not that i think shooting fawns isend of the world( i dont like it tho), i just take pride in knowing thati can pass deer up as well, not shooting the first thing that walks by. some people shoot @ anything that moves.

refross

I’m not talking about shooting anything. I'm talking about passing on does and lesser bucks, and taking the prize meat of a young deer.

And if we are in the position to keep the herd healthy because the natural predators can no longer do the job. What sense does it make to take the strongest of the herd; the older does and the biggest bucks? Isn’t taking the smaller, weaker members of the herd the best for the overall herd?