i dont shoot does but i should have cause the deer i shot http://www.whitetails.com/art354.html wasnt enogh meat we have barley no meat left

imo - if there are doe permits given out in the area you hunt and you have a permit(s), you are foolish (no offense intended) not to take doe. Obviously, in places like the Adirondacks, we don't take doe (unless they are in season (muzzleloader).

One of the primary reason for hunting is controling the deer population. If permits are issued, it means you should take advantage and use them. Meaning: the population is too high. Plus, like you said, you get extra meat in the frezer.

With that said, I know of many that do not shoot does (one group brags that they take 20-30 bucks and no doe!). That doesn't = a balanced population. My thinking is that they are only going to hurt there hunting in the long run. The population will be out of wack and ever increasing, more deer = more cometition = less food and eventually smaller deer, smaller racks, etc.

To each his own, but I hope this makes a little sense. Shooting bucks is fine, but the doe are what control the population and hunters should try and do their part to help manage the herd and in the long run help future hunting.

By the way - nice buck, where do you hunt??

I shoot 'em. Nice looking Buck by the way. Nothing wrong with shooting does as long as it's legal in your area and you take ethical shots. Don't feel bad about running out of meat. If you are like me, you have a bunch of scavengers (friends and coworkers) who don't hunt but are always looking for some meat. And my family enjoys eating the deer that I kill so it goes quikly. Much better than having it sit in the fridge for months and months and no one willing to eat it.

David

everyone should harvest a doe; let the smaller bucks grow another year

If I have a doe tag since ours our gender specific you bet I have no problems shooting a doe.

If you don't take does when the population is high and the tags are issued then you are not a hunter. As stated above part of the reason for deer hunting is herd reduction. I would twenty times rather shoot a doe for meat anyway. I got a hugh buck many years ago and won't shoot another unless I find a bigger one. Have not seen one even close to my big one in 20 years.

I agree, in most areas we need to take more does! The county I hunt in, we are allowed 2 bucks and 2 does. Our lease rules only allows us one doe though. I would rather take 2 does and 1 buck. When you are taking the same number of bucks to does, or more bucks than does, it will start to reflect in the size and quality of the bucks.
You go into a small town near our lease and you here people saying "we aren't seeing many deer, we need to outlaw shooting does altogether!"
In reality, we do need to take more does!
Nature usually produces more does than bucks to begin with, so if you are taking bucks out on a 1:1 or worse, 2:1 ratio the herd will suffer.

I'm with T Roy. Let the little ones go and harvest the does. Trying to even out the herd is only going to give you better hunting in the long run. Bigger buck and a stronger rut. I personally will only shoot a buck with if its going on the wall. The has turned out to be 8 does a one 10pt. in my first 5 years of hunting.

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We eat everything we kill, and you can't beat doe meat for fine eating. I get just as big a thrill out of killing a big doe as I do a younger buck. In fact I see many more small bucks that I could kill as does. Those old does are pretty smart.