For the first time, I am on the list of those eligible to hunt a piece of property that has numerous crop damage permits. The landowner wants a lot of deer taken and I' ll more than willing. However, there is a dilemma . . .

Antlerless deer are the only ones allowed. That being the case, I' m left with having to decide between button bucks (which I' m leaving for the future), a doe with fawns running alongside (which I also won' t shoot), very pregnant does about to drop fawns, or the rare dry doe which doesn' t seem to be very prevalent.

I was out last night and had a small buck under 30 yards and an " about to pop" pregnant doe just out of range with little (and I do mean little) yearlings at various ranges. What to do . . . what to do . . . ?

Tough call , but I' d go for the does who haven' t " popped" yet . Crop damage is the important factor here , and there are generally more does than bucks in most places . Taking a pregnant doe will be difficult , but you have to remember why you' re going to be there . I' d leave the ones with fawns too , but I' d take a button buck if necessary to reduce the overall number of deer . Taking the pregnant does will also take the fawn(s) inside , thereby reducing the overall number x2(3) . Game management isn' t always fun , but it will always be necessary . Bite your lip and aim well , you owe that much to both your benefactor and the herd .

Exactly why I dont bother with the crop damage tags! Around here you could also expect the deer to have at least 50 or so ticks on her this time of year.

I agree with kevin1. Its a tough thing to think about but its the best way to reduce the herd size. I dont know if I could do it. I would probally end up shooting a yearling or a bigger dry doe. Then again, how do you know she doesnt have a fawn lying in the bushes. I guess taking any of the deer would be better than none at all. Go with what you feel is best and wont make you lose sleep at night.[:-][8D]

How about trapping them and shipping them over to either a state with less deer or Canada? We need more deer here! [:-]

Apparently you shouldn' t be doing it if you are having that much trouble. You are not going to be a big help if you can' t bring yourself to shoot them. If they want less deer, shoot the pregnant, and the ones with fawns. lots more bang for your buck. If you can' t stomach it then dry your eyes, get out, and wait for the fall.

Hate to say it Dave, but if you are having that much trouble and the area needs to have a herd reduction it may be best to have someone else do the shooting.

That' s a tough call on that one. There isn' t anyway that I could hunt at that time of the year just because I feel that you shouldn' t really take any of them. But that' s just me. Isn' t there any other way to depleat the herd without having to hunt them now? More doe tags for bow/gun hunters....special doe season like in Sconny?? Plus, how can you hunt at this time of year with all the bugs?? Man they would drive me crazy!!!!

Apparently I overstated my case. No where did I say I couldn' t or wouldn' t take deer on the permit. I just questioned shooting button bucks and does with young fawns running alongside. Don' t want to be accused of " cryin' " about it . . . listening s-r?

Having taken somewhere in the vicinity of 60 deer with my bow, I obviously CAN bring myself to shoot deer. NO PROBLEM THERE. It' s my favorite pastime and one of the reasons I' ve been a regular on this site for over 3 years. I DO have a heart though and don' t want to kill mothers with young that will die slowly without them. I also don' t want to shoot possible future trophies by taking out button bucks. I' ll give it a try on the occassional cooler evenings and just have to be selective.

" ..... a doe with fawns running alongside (which I also won' t shoot), "

You are the one who said you would not shoot. I suggested you wait until fall, acknowledging that you would be willing to shoot then.

The fawns will die quickly enough from coyotes or other predators. And if that isn' t fast enough for you then stick an arrow in the fawns also, they will stick around and be easy pickin' s.

OK, so I can be a heartless bastard. But, what you are doing is an ugly job, and you need to get ugly to do it right.