a deer hunting question
 

this is the deal. a coworker got his first deer and come to find out, the deer was born probably in the spring. when dressed, it weighed 55 lbs. he started bragging about it and everyone started giving him grief for shooting a bambi. he started bragging to me about it and i basically told him he was talking to the wrong person because i didn't believe in what he was doing. don't get me wrong, i understand why people hunt, but i just don't care for it.

what i'd like to know is, are there any regulations on what size/age of a deer you can shoot? i've been searching for answers, but can't find them. or is it just a 'rule' of hunters...don't shoot young ones?

a friend of mine that helped the coworker was just sick by it. he's been hunting since he was a kid and felt it was wrong too. but all i'm hearing is that he shouldn't have shot it cuz of the age and size. is there a rule?

RE: a deer hunting question
 

check your state regulations, most hunters, sportman, and outdoorsmen, would rather take a mature animal

RE: a deer hunting question
 

First off Bambi is a Movie, yearling deer are called FAWNS!

As to your question, I can only comment on where I hunt but our Either-Sex Tags can be used on any deer the hunter chooses to harvest. On our Anterless Tags can only be used to harvest a Doe (female) or spring 04' Fawn. So it boils down to personal choice no rule on size or age. I personally do not shoot a fawn or a doe with fawns either but I also don't think it is wrong for someone else to choose to do so. If they are happy and use the meat from harvest then I am happy with them. Does it really make a difference if he shot a 55lb or 75lbs dressed deer? The point of hunting is to keep populations in check and with the land carrying capacity. This will also accomplish good herd health among the deer which included is a variety of age, sex and size of the species being harvested. So from a management perspective some young, some middle and some old harvested of both sexes in the species are a good thing and one might dare say even a goal(given the PC time we live in).

As far as him bragging, I could take that 2 ways.
#1-his first deer and he is truly excited. Further more with inexperience some can not tell the difference or know the difference until they get some experience or help from a veteran hunter.
#2-experienced and likes to brag about harvesting animals - unethical in my opinion and is desperate need of some direction from a true sportsman who not only hunts but love the animals in which he persues!!! (Like many of the fine members here;))

BTW you have every right to turn a deaf ear and I as a hunter respect others choice to do so. I would tell your co-worker your feelings and to refrain from involving you in the future.

RE: a deer hunting question
 

sorry to have used bambi in reference to the fawn that was shot. it's a term we've all been using around here. i know the difference;) just wrong wording

thank you for your reply. it made me look at the situation in a different light. in all honesty, i think the size, the age, etc is up to the hunter. even though i don't feel it was right to kill a fawn, at least he did use the meat. and he is an inexperienced hunter. i can understand him being excited about his first deer. i grew up with hunters in my family and went through the 'i got my first deer' with many of them. even though i don't like it, i can understand the excitement.

this guy has been teased about his kill and i do think the next time he goes hunting (and maybe with the experienced hunters that have been giving him grief) maybe he'll get himself a buck :)

i can go both ways on this deal. if people didn't hunt, we'd have overpopulation, diseases, and whatnot. and i did explain to my coworker my feelings and he no longer talks about it around me.

RE: a deer hunting question
 

Skeeter's answer is right on target .

In my state there is no "age limit" , you can take a deer of any age . I wouldn't personally shoot a fawn , not enough meat to be worth the cleaning .

RE: a deer hunting question
 

Right on Skeeter, very well put.

Bambi is a cartoon. Even the best marinades still make cartoons taste, well, like paper.

Some guys are very selective about the size of deer they will shoot as they prefer to be able to carry the animal out when hunting in swampy areas where you don't want to drag the meat thru the nasty water and such.

I prefer a large, mature animal myself, but the smaller ones do tend to be tender.

Uncle Matt (in IL)

RE: a deer hunting question
 

States may vary, but our regulations say anything other than a spotted fawn.

RE: a deer hunting question
 

I have a hard time seeing the harvesting of animals unethical. In a sense, all hunters brag about the harvest. Trophy hunters just harvest bigger animals. It just all depends on what your goals are. At the dinner table, a young deer is much better than a deer that is showing some age. So if your goal is to bring home some tasty venison, there is nothing wrong with shooting a younger deer. If your goal is to raise world class bucks, your goal would be to let them age and develop.

RE: a deer hunting question
 

Although out of 27 deer kills I had a case of mistaken identity once and shot a fawn but I do not advocate the taking of fawns. Most people don't have a problem going out and eating veal because they don't know what it is. It is a baby cow which is kept in a pen and not allowed to move so the meat is tender. Then the baby cow is harvested by a shot to the head or other means. I can't tell you how many people don't understand how the meat they eat was not born in a package with plastic over the top or born in the shape of a hamburger! In addition remember over population! I would bet that a large percentage of vehicle / deer accidents involve fawns because of their ignorance. Sometimes a hunter can spend alot of time and effort to harvest a deer with a bow and may come up empty for years, so for him to be excited is justified. The question should not be the size of the deer but whether he made a safe, ethical, humane instant kill shot on the animal.

RE: a deer hunting question
 

There is no "age limit" for shooting a deer. If he got his 1st deer ever he should be happy as can be regardless of its size, and he is entitled to that. Generally people try and shoot bigger deer, but sometime in the field it is hard to judge size. Cases can be made that smaller, young of the year, deer are first to perish in hard winters so shooting them isn't that big a deal. Death from a hunters bullet or arrow is much less painful than the cruelty of ma nature. I don't think others should tease him if it was his first deer.

Just to add:
I think it was cool of you to come here and find information in a civil manner, many would have just turned into a rant and not wanted to know hte other side of the story. I am suprised at your friend who hunted who was sickened by it. He should know for someone's 1st deer, to be happy for them regardless of the size.

RE: a deer hunting question
 

I took 2 fawns in my lifetime one I found injured and it couldn't stand up the other was mistaken I.D. I have to say even though I felt wierd taking such a young deer the meat was awesome! I must admit I feel a little bad for all the deer I kill young or old! I don't think It would bother me too much to take other young deer in the future. It's the meat I'm after and they sure do taste good! but thats just me....Sorry if that bothers anyone I'm just not a big rack hunter. I'm a deer hunter! To me all racks are awesome trophies!........Shoot straight....Jim

RE: a deer hunting question
 

The area we hunt in MN is an intensive harvest zone, so there are a lot of deer of all sizes running around. Some of the guys I hunt with say, "if it's brown, shoot it down," but even they usually won't shoot a fawn. If they do, they'll get crap for it. I guess it's just a matter of preference, and like others said, what you're objective is (meat or trophy). I go either way.

RE: a deer hunting question
 

I guess I think in the original scenario, someone should have stood up to the ones who were giving the new hunter grief. The point being, shooting a young deer is neither inethical, nor illegal, nor in anyway wrong or stupid. It's a mistake only in terms of holding out for a larger deer if a good supply of meat is the goal, or if a trophy is personally important to the guy.

In fact, an arguement could be (and should have been) made that shooting a young deer, is much smarter than shooting an older deer, especially a big antlered buck. It's easier to handle and is more likely to have tastier meat. Better for population control - male or female, this deer will never breed. Better for QDM: this deer, with a lower natural survival rate than a mature deer, is better to shoot than a prime mid-aged breeder that hasn't achieved trophy status. This should have been stated loud and clear to the ones giving grief as well as the proud new hunter.

The last thing that should have been done is to give him any indication that he shouldn't do it in the future - unless, again, the idea is to hold out for a larger deer for the sake of more meat.

Assuming antlerless is legal, it is in no way "better" to hold out for a buck. Other than the trophy factor, which is strictly a personal decision.

The word Bambi was used in the original post (and I know it was just a phrase, not really meaning doe-eyed, cute Bambi). But I do think there is a touch of the Bambi syndrome among those who think shooting small, young deer is wrong. A minor and harmless variation of the same Bambi Syndrome that non, or anti-hunters have in thinkng a cute, lovable animal shouldn't be killed. A fawn is small and cute and therefore is more worthy of protecting than it's grown mother or father. I just don't see any logic behind this, and therefore think it's emotion.

Remember, I said **minor** and **harmless** type of Bambi Syndrome. It's a FAR, FAR cry from the full-blown totally unrealistic Bambi Syndrome that anti-hunters have which they try to plant on the rest of us. I really don't care if a person choses not to shoot any particular animal, for whatever reason they have, even emotional reasons. Really, I'm sincere about that. There is absolutely nothing wrong in making hunting decisions for personal, even emotional reasons. But that's different than actually thinking or telling someone it's wrong for them to do it, when it plain ain't wrong! Just the opposite, it's good for many reasons.

RE: a deer hunting question
 

I can tell you that my first bow kill was a fawn and the meat was fantastic. I can understand if he is braggin because he is happy about the situation. The best thing you can do is congratulate him and say good job. You can tell him that if he is doing any QDM then he should hold off for mature does b/c mature does have a greater potential to produce twins than younger does thus reducing the population.

RE: a deer hunting question
 

Taking of fawns is kind of a touchy subject, but in reality there is a good case to be made in favor of it. In any wildlife population, the young of the year will have natural death rates that are many times higher than adults. Here in Montana, with deer or elk, it is usually the case that 6 or 7 out of every 10 fawns or calves die before they reach their first birthday. So a fawn that is harvested by a hunter would probably have died anyway, so in a sense that kill is "free".

Personally, I won't kill a fawn because the amount of meat is so small, but there is nothing intrinsically wrong with it.

RE: a deer hunting question
 

Sounds like your buddy shot the deer for the right reason - food. It's give and take. I'm sure you've seen many shows where certain individuals hunt soley for the size of the antlers. That's what gives hunting a bad rap. But to answer you question, most states allow the hunter to bag a buck or doe (fawn is considered a doe until it grows legal antlers).

RE: a deer hunting question
 

I started deer hunting in WV when I was 10 years old. I am now 34. I did not shoot my first deer until I was 14--you should have seen it--it was a scrubby fork horn that was gray as hell, and was missing one foot--my friend mentioned that he thought the deer had a membership in AARP but I was happy and to me, he was a trophy and I hope those are the same kind of feelings your friend has. Its all based on the amount of hunting experience an individual has and the reasons they are pursuing this lifelong lifestyle ( which is awesome). I hope the grief he was given over it by other "hunters?" was good natured--if not, then I would not consider those people as knowing anything about hunting. taking his first deer is an accomplishment and it should not be down graded. Hunting is not about the kill, its about experiences gained, animals respected, and the memories and most of all its about having fun in an ancient game.

RE: a deer hunting question
 

I try not to,but Gee his first ,give the guy a break. As we mature as a hunter we go thru stages.Next year his goals will be higher and as he gets educated his skills and goals will improve

RE: a deer hunting question
 

In a lot of places, the highest goal is in fact herd management, not the size of the deer or it's antlers. To a lot of people, the highest goal is simply getting meat. The idea that a buck is a higher goal or indication of a higher skill isn't true in the places I hunt. Although I totally understand why people want to hold out for trophy bucks, and more power to them, it's not necessarily a sign of higher skill or higher goal. The biggest antlers I've personally seen - moose and white tail - were taken by good, but not exceptional hunters and were just by chance, right place, right time.