MikeE51848

Do all does get bred in the rut, or just a percentage? So much is said about killing a doe after the rut, that you are really killing three.

woody7

nope, there are multiple ruts. Does that don't get bred come open 30 days later. 1.5 year olds may not breed till after that. We saw a doe Nov.6 with twin fawns that weren't more than 2.5-3 months old. That means she was bred late Feb or March if I am counting right. Look at a herd of does and you are looking at multiple generations of the same gene pool. You have an old girl 5.5-6.5 years old with twin fawns. With them are two other does, her daughters from prior years 3.5-4.5, they both have fawns. There is a 1.5 year old doe acting stupid and showing signs of coming open. The other does charge her and run her off. After she is bred, she returns to the herd. The other does kick off their fawns when they come in season and leave the group. Thats why your feed pen looks like an orphanage during the rut. After they are bred they rejoin the herd and continue weaning their fawns. Even though they show signs of lactation in late Nov or Dec the does have almost always started weaning their fawns by this time. The 1.5 year old bucks this herd produced have been on their own running does since before the rut started. They will travel in groups with other bucks after the rut sometimes visiting their old herd for brief periods. The area we hunt has a high deer density, one deer for every 1.45 acres. We need to take 4 does for every 3.5+ year old buck shot. Your area is probably different. Ask a state biologist to do a spotlight survey and recommend a harvest plan. If we don't harvest our does, the land will not sustain the grazing pressure and a die off would occur.