Which would you take out?
 

I'm on a kill permit on some agricultural land in Northern Va. They have some to the highest whitetail population densities in the U.S. and in this particular case, are wrecking havok with the harvest. The permit is for unlimited antlerless, any time but Sunday, until the regular (early archery) season begins.

Yesturday I went out and the only shots I had was on one young 6-point buck and a pair of fawns. I could not shoot the buck but also passed on the fawns. This got me thinking about that and other possible scenarios that I would have to make a judgement call.

Would you shoot fawns on a kill permit?
What about a doe with fawns?
What about if you took out a doe and then discovered the fawns?

The vinyard's attitude is understandably about money as they lost over 20 tons of harvest last season, so the more I take the better.

If the vineyard is truely losing significant amounts of growth to deer, and the vineyard expects you do help them, I would take out anything that did not have antlers.

That being said, I would have a very hard time pulling the trigger on a fawn, or on a doe with fawns.

I would have no problem taking out a fawn. I would definitely say if you had a shot on a doe and she was with her fawns, the first shot I would take is for the fawn so as not to leave the fawn without its mom. I have seen older fawns stand around when the doe gets shot however. yougns are always tender.

bust em up. i would love to have access to a permit like that. drop the mama and the fawns wont go to far. drop them to.

cant shoot a fawn, or a doe with fawns. BUT later if you can see buttons on a button buck with a yearling doe, ive heard to shoot the doe as she will later run off the button

How big are the fawns. After they lose their spots and get up around 50 or so pounds we call them yearlings. That size and up I would shoot anything that was a doe.

In that circumstance, anything without horns as soon as they appeared. Goal is to get population down and reduce loss.

Thanks for the opinions, keep em coming.

I agree that this is the central justification of a kill permit. But call me a wuss, I had to pass on taking out the two fawns, still with spots, at about 50 feet, too stupid to run. Finally I just yelled at them and they took off, like they just figured out how to run.

well if it's legal, go for it, who are we to say, however when you consider ethics most people/hunterswould say no on killing fawns. i'd let them pass. the next 2 ?'s there's a good chance you'll never see the fawns till it's too late. sorry, sad but true!

You have to remember you are not hunting, you are controlling a problem. If we as hunters, do not help these places, by killing every deer they want killed that is legal to do so, they will contract sharpshooters etc.

In this case, way overpopulated, doing significant damage, shoot any deer the permit covers. If you get doe and fawns, take out the doe, if the fawns hang around, take them out.