During the this past year on the opening day of the WVa rifle season, I decided to take a mature doe late in the morning after having not seen any bucks. I watch her and her two yearlings for about 20 minutes to make sure there was no bucks behind her prior to taking her.While standing back at my truck later that morning and talking with the farmer I hunt on and his nephew;who had taken a yearling doe, the neighor from across the road came over and berated me for shooting does. He said not to shoot the does because he was trying togrow big bucks. I have to mention that during his conversation he bragged that he had just shot a 6pointer with probably a 13inch spread and also he had killed a 4pt during bow season. The landowner I was hunting on was tickled that we took some overabundent deer off his land. I don't see how letting does walk will grow bigger bucks
Any thoughts?

I let them walk.... right into the sights of my gun. I have no problem what so ever taking does.

In order to have a healthy herd, the buck:doe ratio has to be kept in check, so not shooting does really doesn't help grow bigger bucks, unless the ratio is way out of whack in favor of too many bucks, which i highly doubt is the case. Later in the season there may be some validity to the statement, as the mature does could be carrying the next booner, but even then too many does isn't good for the herd. This neighbor sounds like he has no clue about herd management. What it comes down to is that you were happy and so was the landowner, thats all that matters. unfortunately, the neighbor can do whatever he wants on his land, as long as he's following the law. might want to check in with this guy in 4-5 years and see how many big bucks he has on his property and how many basket racks he has hanging in the shed!

Every knowledgable deer hunter knows you have to take some does. I personally don't like taking 1 1/2 yr. or older does later in the season. I don't want to take the chance of killing one that may be carrying fawns. I try to take my does in Oct. with bow and muzzleloader before the rut. I let a lot of does walk, which I'm sure most of you also do, but I don't let every single one walk. They taste too good to let them all walk.

That guy's a dang idiot. You gotta take some does. Not only is it great herd management, they are also very tasty!

If a buck has access to an adequate food supply, how does a high dow:buck ratio adversely affect the size of his rack?

does are tasty.....

Read the book "Quality Deer Management" by Charles Alsheimer. Its all explained in there

MI88

Have any of you guys ever raised cattle???

If you put 10 cows in a 50 acre pasture, you will have 10 healty cows...Up it to 20 and you will have 20 skinny cows...

I'll bet a dollar that the neighbor owned less land than the acerage you were on...I've seen this many times...

On our 3 farms we killed 44 deer this year, most were does...By killing does the bucks have more to eat and when the rut comes the bucks are out looking for does...If you have plenty of does the bucks don't have to go looking, they can stay in the thicket, you don't see them and won't kill them...

I don't see what the difference is between taking them early or late. Sure if it's late they are probably bred, but if you take them early you are killing a doe that would have been bred later if you didn't. I don't see the difference. I like to take them early and late.