Sling

The best way to avoid shooting a buck fawn is to just totally avoid shooting fawns altogether if possible. This info below will repeat some points already mentioned above, but here are a few hints on how to do that:

First, avoid harvesting an antlerless deer that is traveling alone. For one thing, there are no other deer to compare body size with and that makes an estimate of age tough. Also, a mature doe tends to travel in a family unit or with other deer most of the time. A lone, antlerless deer is likely to be an orphaned fawn that has temporarily been abandoned by its mother due to the activities of the rut. It is not uncommon to see groups of 3 or 4 abandoned fawns banding together during the rut while they wait for the dams to return.

Secondly, while a mature doe is obviously larger than a fawn, it is not a good idea to just go by the size difference. A buck fawn will usually be bigger than a doe fawn, so you can probably imagine what happens. Every year buck fawns are shot by mistake because they are standing next to a doe fawn and the hunter assumes the bigger animal of the two must be the adult doe. A better idea is to go by body size and facial features together. A mature doe will have a longer and more pointed nose and ears. The face and ears of a fawn will look round and stubby. A good comparison would be the way a puppy looks as compared to an adult dog. Using both criteria for comparisons will decrease your chances of harvesting a buck fawn by mistake.

Third, if you like to hunt fields, it is usually not a good idea to shoot the first antlerless deer that feeds its way out into the field. The first deer to enter fields are normally fawns. The very first deer out is likely to be a buck fawn. Buck fawns tend to be more bold and curious than doe fawns and that trait has a tendency to put them on a hunter’s meat pole.

Forth, when deer are traveling single file in the woods between bedding and feeding areas, the first deer in line is normally the dominant, mature doe (just the opposite of deer entering a field). When deer are traveling in this manner, the first deer is directing traffic and is probably the mother or grandmother of the family unit (the alpha female). Examine the first deer closely though, to make sure you are not looking at a small band of abandoned fawns (as discussed earlier).

RedAllison

Jimmy in any antlerless program a few buttons will be popped from time to time. But with practice and a little " attention to detail" you can all but prevent it. Shooting only mature does of course is the safest method. But what about those 2 " does" standing 300yds away and they are the only deer you see? It simply takes great optics to make 100% sure and you cant always kill, despite the urge. I' ve found that when looking at long ranges at buttons that you will notice that " roundness" that is found only on fawns vs does & bucks. Their heads are round, their ears are round and their jaws/nose' s are just more " rounded" in appearance than does. A does jaw/nose, ears and body will be much longer in appearance than a fawns.

As for seeing them during bowseason, sometimes you can see the little black " dots" above the eyes that indicate a button but sometimes I' ve seen female fawns with dark " swirls" of hair that could be mistaken for buttons as well. This is why I just wont shoot fawns unless its very late in the season and they practically walk underneath me (but typically by that point we are through with " doe poppin" ).

Buttons should be protected at ALL costs, you could be preventing the killing of a lifelong " raghorn" or it could be the next B&C in the books you just dont know! This past season on a 2k acre farm I hunt here in west Tn, we killed 40 does and none of them were buttons. This is a first in our history. Typically as many as 3-5 " antlerless" deer killed each season would mistakenly be buttons.

It just takes patience, good optics, practice and the commitment NOT to shoot " does" until you are 100% sure.
RA

Allen Denton

I agree about taking the more mature looking of the group. I heard something from an oldtimer a few years back and it I have not said too much about it but it has worked for me. He called BB fuzzy necks, and after that I would look at the neck and in the pasted I have not shot these deer and the guy next to me did and it was a BB. Has anyone else heard this or was it pure luck??

liquidorange

what i have noticed in my area is that the buttons coat seem darker in color and the way they seem like loners mostly coming in by themselves or keeping space from other does. not a proven fact by any means but if you spend alot of time hunting early in the season you can almost tell. when in doubt and you rather not take a chance only shoot at BIG! 12 pointers then you wont have any problems[&:]

JagMagMan

Wimp I have been there and done that before.
A couple of years ago I shot the larger of two deer, only to find that I had taken a BB. It does happen. Fortunately, neither side had broken the skin, so in Texas it was legal to use a doe tag on him. It didn' t make me happy though!

JimboHunter1

That' s a tough question, but it' s easier if you' re comparing button bucks to mature does. This method makes complete sense: A deer that is less than a year old (ie. a button buck), shows a " box-like" appearance, meaning that it is as tall as it is long (square-like). On the other hand, a deer that is one or two years old is longer than it is tall (rectangular). At short or long ranges, this is an easy rule of thumb and it is almost always reliable.

Jim

Trebarker

How about not taking a shot unless you are positive of what your aiming at? If it is really necessary for you to harvest a deer, no matter the size, sex or age, that you are willing to shoot and find out what it is later, all of us would benefit if you took up another past-time.

SnoBall57

It' s hard to judge ' em from bow hunting range without a good pair of " glasses" . And even harder from 50 yds. or more. My method is to avoid any small deer that is travelling alone, and to look at the nose of any deer before dropping the hammer on it. The yearlings will have a " stubby" nose compared to an adult doe, which usually has an elongated, or " muley" looking nose. No matter how hard you try, you' ll more than likely kill a " button" eventually if you enjoy a decent amount of success every year.

JagMagMan

Trebarker, perhaps you are a truely great hunter and have never missed a shot or made a mistake. Congratulations, oh great one!
However, Jimmy' s mistake can and does happen to veteran hunters sometimes! BTW, Jimmy DID know what he was shooting at! It is not like he was shooting at a rustling bush!
To a true hunter, it is not a pleasant feeling to go find that you have taken a BB instead of a doe, even though you looked it over good before poping a cap!
Hopefully, this will not happen to you, but if you harvest does at all, it could one day happen to you. Then you would know the sick feeling and maybe not spit so high in the air in the future!

DaveH

I go by the size of the deer' s head--esp. the muzzle. Young deer have short muzzles and small heads while a mature doe' s head is usually significantly bigger with a longer muzzle.