Two Deer Down During Rut
 

This year during our annual rut vacation we managed to get 2 deer down. This is a time we look forward to every year not only for the great hunting but for the great memories we make. This was the first buck my Uncle has shot with a bow in probably 5 years, you won't believe what he was doing when it showed up! Any of you had that happen to you before? Finally, after getting blanked last year I was thrilled to get this doe on the ground. Just wish the camera didn't mess up on the focus! Also, I was curious on your guy's thoughts on shooting does during the rut? Hope you like the video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNlDzIZOJYw

No big deal shooting does in the rut at all and I've never heard of that being asked by anyone in my many decades in the woods. Is there a particular reason you asked that question?

To answer your question, I will shoot a doe any time of the season..

And remember when harvesting doe's off a given property to harvest doe's of varying age classes not just mature doe's..

But other then that it really doesn't matter when you kill one.

I've heard mix views on when to shoot does. If you shoot them before breeding, you will not kill pregnant does. Then, during the breeding, bucks will mate doe that at are not going to be shot later. Also, I heard that less does going into the rut means bucks have to be more active to find and compete for the few that remain.

I have heard the same line of thinking but when you look at at analytically if you kill one before or after she is breed you are still killing her and her offspring or potential offspring..

True, but it's about what does are left to breed. A buck can't breed a dead doe, but he can breed one that is about to die. If he is able to breed 6 doe that year, more will survive if all 6 are safe from hunters.

The other thought is purely about the buck. Less does makes buck activity go up and good for hunters. But, it adds stress to the bucks and can take a toll.

It's probably a wash unless you can shoot as many doe as you want, whenever you want. We get one doe tag a year and it's lottery.

I was asking because I have heard from some people that they won't shoot does during the rut because they want to see what's behind them. Us personally, haven't seen that many times in the runt when we see a does come through and a buck hot on her trail. Many years we passed on does during the rut just to not have a buck follow and not fill our tag, so was just curious on other's thoughts.

That makes sense and something I never even gave a thought about!

I don't shoot doe during the rut unless Ive already filled my buck tag.

I can't imagine hunting the rut a lot and never seeing a buck tracking a doe.

Its not like a giant comes in like clockwork but I see bucks following doe tracks all the time during the rut.


Also no matter how many doe you have at some point during the year only a few are in heat. I don't buy the theory that less doe = more active bucks at all.

From my experience the more doe there are to check the more active the bucks are not the other way around.

Drop the doe and stay in your stand. It's basically like a sleeping doe decoy. :D The buck doesn't know or probably care that the doe is just laying there. They will at least stop and sniff.

And shooting, even with a rifle, won't blow the area out for long. Especially when the rut is on. The buck you may see in 15 minutes could have been a mile away when you fired the shot. I've also had deer in front of me when someone shot 100 yards away. They look around for a few seconds and that's about it. They don't know what it is, or where it came from.

The problem with that is a local doe might walk by you 10 different times in which case you are cutting your odds by 10 if you shoot her the first time.

A doe that walks by 10X is 10x more likely to bring a buck by.

That makes a lot of sense! I have seen the same with deer just standing there after guns being shot. My buddy and I shot two deer out of the same herd with guns one time after they didn't run off after the first one was shot and dropped.

I'll put it this way. If you want to set your goals on a big mature buck you are already playing a low % game and if your blasting doe during the rut your chances are only getting smaller. If you don't care that much sure blast whatever but saying it won't matter is simply wrong.....way wrong.

I can't believe somebody would actually give the advice that firing your gun won't hurt your deer hunting. I mean sure sometimes they don't have a clue what just happened but from my experience a much higher % of the time they run like hell.

Sure that mature buck might be a mile away and he also might be right behind you.

Its not a death sentence to shoot doe during the rut but and like I said if you don't care that much no worries but if you want to be series about harvesting real mature bucks with any consistency you can't just use a bunch of tactics that MIGHT not hurt your already slim chances.

That's a good point! We will have to try that sometime if we see a doe we think is hot. Rather than avoiding them and wait for a doe that isn't hot...drop her and see what happens!

I agree with this line of thinking, but I've also dropped a doe after watching her get bred by a buck and had the buck run out and stand 10 yds from where I dropped her. I think you can throw all logic out the window when the rut is in full swing.

That was nice of you to let him get "it" done before wacking her, LOL!

Oh that absolutely happens. Ive shot doe and had bucks run up and try to bread them BUT that doesn't make it a good strategy.

This year the town where I went to school (Pittsfield IL) had a big buck run across the wal mart parking lot.....That doesn't make wal mart a good place to hang your stand.

There are things that are good strategies and then there are things you might get away with. Shooting a hot doe while buck hunting is the later.

Like I said - I'm in agreement with you on not making it a practice.

I've been in that parking lot! Drive thru Pittsfield when I go back to my hometown.

What is your home town?

You bet it works! During the rut all bets are off.

Ive hunted around a lot of guys that think it don't matter. They are usually the same guys that think I'm just lucky an/or their spot just isn't as good.

It does matter. Pretending firing a rifle doesn't effect your hunt is just silly and a way to justify lack of patients IMO.

+1
The does are why the bucks are there. Shoot a mature doe and you take away the reason for the bucks to stick around.
If you want meat, shoot a fawn. If you want more meat than that, shoot two.

Grew up in Knox Co - Maquon.

Does your answer change at all using a bow? I rarely gun hunt, and would be taking it with a bow.

No not really.

Understand though I'm not saying don't shoot doe. I'm just telling you shooting doe that walk by your stand in any way can effect your buck hunting.

Its up to you to decide how far you want to go with it but yes a doe you shoot early in the season could have brought a buck by you at some point if she were still alive obviously.

What I usually do is pick my spots. I have spots I will go if I'm looking to tag a doe and I have spots where I won't shoot a doe then I have some spots I leave completely alone until the rut and truth be told the spots I leave completely alone are usually where I have success.

If you don't have the ground available to do that you just have to decide how confident you are in your self and your hunting ground that you can be patient and still get a deer and yes you could let doe walk by all season and never see a buck..that is just how it goes.