this is all that matters, you left the woods confident you made the right decision based on what you want. Thats what hunting is suppose to be about. No need to apologize.

that is true thank u for making that point

It all depends. If you know you are somewhere that you have the opportunity to take a deer for a few months to go, I'd let her walk. I have shot many does with fawns (I call 'em yearlings) but usually wait until November. No reason why, I'm kind of a softy and let the fawns grow up a little more. Plus, Id rather wait for a little cooler weather to shoot a deer unless its a nice buck.

The fawns def. can make it on there own. Ive had two in my backyard that have been running around without a mother since July. They still had spots but mom had never been seen, pretty sure she met her match with a car. They have never missed a beat. Had plenty of spots and were living off the flowers and bird feeder since then. A little button buck and a doe.

There was actaully a study done where biologists tagged 34 button bucks, 19 with there mothers, 15 that were orphaned. At the age of 2 1/2 all 19 button bucks that grew up with there mothers had moved outside of there home range. Out of the 15 button bucks that were orphaned, all but one at age 2 1/2 were still in there home range. I don't say go out and orphan any doe with button bucks, but if you run into a doe in October November that has 2 button bucks, that might be a good deer to take. If anybody is interested I still may be able to find the study on the internet.

i give free passes to momma with fawns, especially if still spots. idk why either..opening day last year i had 2 fawns both nursing on mom 20 yards from me and i never released an arrow. kinda cool just watching nature. but when gun season rolled around couple months later.....backstraps for me! i say hunt anyway that u want, as long its safe,ethical and u have fun...

Or survive predators, myself I would rather take the fawn if I was going to drop the hammer.
No moma gets the hammer in my book.

If I see a nanny doe with her little one and it has spots on it I will lit her walk, now on the other hand if one comes through with a yearling I wont hesitate and if I can ill take the yearling out with me also.

whack em and stack em!

I had the same thing happen to me, sorta. My first deer, I was 12, was a button buck. He was following mama on some ice, and I hit him in the spine at about 5 yards, while he was on the run. He slipped on the ice, and could not get up. He was just sitting there, balling baaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaa, it was scaring more deer away. My uncle, gave me the knife, and told me to "shut him up," which pretty much broke me.

if that study is true in a month when i c them again that doe will be down

I won't shoot a doe that has a fawn or fawns with her, spotted or not. Just my preference. There are plenty of other does to shoot. I usually target yearling does ( 1 1/2 yr. olds ) with my bow. The yearling does, at least where I hunt, have not had fawns yet, so I don't have to worry about the issue of killing a doe that has fawns.

If you live in a area with lots of wolves,bears coyotes ,bobcats and hard winters.Those fawns will have zero chance of survival. Just look at Northern Wi. Very few fawns survived the last 2 years now deer are way below goal in a lot of areas, Some places deer are down to 8 per sq.mile. Thats 1/2 deer per 40 acres. You still want to shoot the mama. A lot better off shooting the fawns.
Redclub

ive seen many times that the doe gets shot and later in the season the fawns will get shot in that same area, i did it once shot the doe with bow then had two different kids shoot a fawn each out of the same stand later in rifle. they were full of food and seemed to be doing fine. As far as winter id say they would have been fine, predators, who knows even with the mother they are at risk, im from maine and we have plenty of both they normally come through it Id shoot her

I wouldnt shoot the fawns myself but the kids were hooked after so something good did come of it

done it once never again. had to chase the fawns away after mama dropped then again as i was gutting her,they just would not leave.
so i personally will not dont care if anyone else does,its just not for me like i wont shoot at a walking deer always gut shot them so that shot is out no matter buck or doe.

i shot a bull moose that was with a cow and cow did the same thing came back twice both adults. would i never shoot another bull? not to instigate but just another way to look at it

Personally, no.

I have had that chance one more than one ocasion . I have never shot a doe with even one small fawn . Yearlings are different .

I agree with the previous posts regarding personal choice. I can only say that I did it a few times, but the one time changed my mindset, so I tend not to do it. The time that stays in my brain, involved a similar situation. I took a big doe with two small fawns and as I was retrieving her, the two small fawns kept coming back, looking and calling for her. Honestly, probably the worst that has happended to me in the field. The sight of those fawns looking for her was/is an image that still plays in my mind. Again, this may never happen to anyone or has happened to someone. It may not bother some, but it was enough to make me look at the situation differently. I guess it is personal choice/standards and I dont't know if there is a right/wrong way of looking at it..

Stay Safe...

KC

If the fawns are the color of the doe,even with spots-shoot.If they're reddish in color then they're still nursing.

Well you guys helped aid the decision I had to make tonight. Two fawns and Ma.....they all still walk. I didn't have the guts!

You had better check your regs. In many states, including LA., it is illegal to kill a spotted fawn. If there is still one spot, it's illegal.

It's not that you didn't have the guts. It's because you had a heart. I won't shoot a doe with fawns either.

I personally would not shoot a doe with youngins. But if you need meat that bad, go for it. May as well kill them all while your at it. That way your really thinning the herd out.

i would leave that and keep looking for another

I was talking about shooting the doe,not the fawns.

Duh, I should have known that. Afterall, the thread was about shooting a doe with fawns. My mistake.

A spotted fawn in Oct/Nov in my area is as good as dead come winter. The fact that a deer has a fawn or fawns late enough to still be spotted com FALL - tells me there are too many deer and doe especially. Most often - the fawns with a doe come hunting season, are not spotted and are fully capable of fending for themselves.

I'd never let the presence of fawns - spotted or not - influence my decision on taking a doe in hunting season.

FH

Everyone has their thoughts on this. I personally wouldn't shoot a fawn with a doe. Then on the other hand I won't hold anything against anyone that pulls the trigger.

Sorry I should have said a doe with a fawn.........:o