Any shame in taking a doe?

[Bean Counter]

Do it, and don't be discouraged. I'm almost 100% self taught in the important areas of hunting. It was like my third or fourth season before I killed my first antlerless deer. Kill a doe this year, and kill one next year, too! Your self-imposed stnadards will increase as you go along. I killed a 5pt whitetail last year when expecting to fill a doe tag. You never know how its going to end up.

If you do kill a doe, you wont be left with antlers to mount, but you can send the hide off to WB Place in Wisconsin and have it tanned into leather. I will keep mine forever and its something I can pass to my heirs. Packs, stores, and moves easier than an antlermount, LOL.   

[mossback91]

I see zero shame in killing a doe!!

[rezboy]

No shame!  Meat is meat no matter if it came with horns or not...

[croix]

I think it's great that you are asking the question because to me it demonstrates that you are a conscientious hunter and consider the impact taking a doe has on your image and the image of hunting. MY short answer to your question is that there is no shame in the legal harvesting of a doe.

I don't necessarily whack the first doe I see, especially if I know that I will have other opportunities, but I would absolutely take doe and hold my head high. Besides, I don't care how many vegetable you put in it, tag soup still sucks.

[10Key]

No

[Whitenuckles]

Shame??? You should be proud of taking a doe! My Unckle says that does are smarter than bucks, after all, who teaches those bucks everything when there young?

[deaddog]

pick a nice fat doe and put some great meat in the freezer.

[AKBowman]

I passed up a BT doe two years ago and have gone 0-fer ever since...wish I would have taken her now. Does that answer your question?

[halflife65]

I'll tell you what would definitely be a shame.  Spending years not filling your tag because you have wrapped up your pride in the need to take a big buck.  Sure, we all want to display a nice trophy on the wall to admire for years but if you can place your ego aside, I say go ahead and arrow a doe and enjoy the meat.

Excellent point.  No doubt there are some outstanding hunters sharing stories and pics on this site, but you can't expect to have that kind of success without a ton of experience.  If you want to compare yourself to others and bring pride into the choice, then compare yourself to the general hunting population that eats most if not all of there tags on a yearly basis and take great pride in harvesting a delicious doe.  You should feel proud that you beat the odds and put food on the table.  Good luck. 

[halflife65]

What ever floats your boat.  If after you kill one you have a pang of regret then you and only you can determine if you want to kill another one.  We need more people willing to kill does, or a lot more B tags to help balance the population.

I shoot a buck (I've only shot one doe in my life) about every year and, after the initial rush, always feel something of a pain of regret.  I feel like it keeps me honest and ethical and reminds me that a piece of meat isn't just something you get at a grocery store.  I think that I have a little more respect than someone that goes down and just buys a pork chop without thinking about where it came from...

When I shot the doe I didn't necessarily feel more of a pang of regret than I would have normally.  It was legal, it was a tag given for management purposes and, presumably, it helped to get the deer population more in line with buck:doe management ratios.

[adam.WI]

I love venison, doe=venison, I shoot doe.

[elkoholic1]

your first kill will always be a trophy and a good memeroy, dosnt matter what the sex, or size, stick with it and youll get-R-done...

[HuntingFanatic]

You dont eat antlers!

[Buckmark]

There should never be any shame in taking an animal, if you have any feeling of shame even thinking about it then dont.
If you hunt for antlers or even a "trophy" then you have to be prepared to not fill your tag, that comes with the territory, if your hunting to put some venison in the freezer then any legal animal should be the goal, and a filled tag is success.
The statement about hunting for 4years and wasting the time is not really true, i'm sure you have learned alot and seen alot that you dont even realize it.
Success should not be measured only in filling your tag, if it is then your missing the point.
If the need to fill the tag will make you a better hunter then do it, fill the freezer, tan the hide and get the experience of gutting, skinning processing etc.
Then next year focus on antlers.
Every year i hunt differently, if the freezer is empty then the first deer goes down, if not then antlers, and i pass on those years just to fill my tag, those years i take a camera along and get pics of the deer that could have been, thats fun also.. Video camera is also lots of fun..
Nothing like having some Nice mule deer bucks at 20yds or less in the late hunt whe only Whitetails are legal, and saying out loud to them "where were you a month ago?"

[JackOfAllTrades]

No shame at all taking a doe. Especially in areas where there are poor buck to doe ratios. This is effective game management. Call your local gamie and he/she'll probably let you know where someone's been complaining about nuisance deer so you can take a good fat doe there. He should at least point you in direction that it would be best 'not' to take a doe. 

-Steve