How many doe whackers we have out there ?

[rebal69972]

i have a general rule if its brown its down. now i will let the younger deer walk but a big doe walks out in front of me its all over but the cring

[carpsniperg2]

I am glad there is a lot of people that are happy to shoot does. I like to see it from the management stand point. I am always happy to see someone take a big mature Doe. If she is barren that's all the better

[DOUBLELUNG]

[smg id=3952]

[buglebuster]

Shootin a doe, not for me but Shootin a cow 

[BOWHUNTER45]

Because I really never TRY for a deer, I just shoot the first legal deer that is dumb enough to let me get close.
I shoot my deer while hunting for Elk !
Also, just to respond to

While I agree that does are tasty and fill the freezer, from a biological point of view its cutting off your nose to spite your face.  When you take a buck, there will be another one to breed the does.  When you take a doe you END the line of deer production of bucks AND does...  Think it through....how many deer does a doe give birth to over her fertile lifetime?  Lets assume for easy numbers she can give birth to 10 deer, 5 does and 5 bucks that survive to adulthood and fertility.

Over her lifetime and the lifetimes of the next 2 generations you will get 10 deer from her, which will produce, over their life - using the same numbers 50 deer, 25 does and 25 bucks...and the second generation will produce 250 deer, 125 does and 125 bucks.  hence if you take the does you cut OFF the deer production.

I realize that this is an oversimplification but it serves to emphasize the point that taking a doe has a tremendous impact on the overall population potential for deer.

Also understand that SOME places are overrun with deer, like the wheat fields full of WT's and that the GOAL is to reduce the year to year population growth...which IS wildlife management.  But for the rest of the populations, we are served better by sticking to bucks.

As you stated, that is an over simplification, and I used to think that way, but I do not feel that it has that much affect on populations.
when numbers are low, and food is plentiful, does "twin up", meaning they have twin (2) fawns.
When numbers are stable, food is normal, then a lot of them still "twin up"
In bad years, they will have one fawn, in bad winters they will even abort, nature seeks a balance in all things.
When it comes to deer, in a healthy herd, a few are going to get hit by cars, killed by predators, die from disease, etc.
harvesting a few does has no significant impact, now harvesting a lot of does, might...
But as an example, look at the Islands, lots of does killed every year, by all weapons, still a lot of deer.

yep I agree plus if you want a good buck to doe ratio then you best whack a couple doe !!!

[seth30]

  Sep 1st is almost here!

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

ill shoot a doe. 

[backwoods_boy]

Hope to get one next week...

[hillbilli]

Killed my first blacktail last year.. a mature doe, and while I have a second tag this year, I dont tend to pass up legal deer. (or elk for that matter) i figure with all I put into the hunt- fuel, tag money, etc. I ought to get the freezer stocked, so thats what I do.. this might explain why I have a fair pile of small whitetail racks, I dont pass up much.. 

[seth30]

Killed my first blacktail last year.. a mature doe, and while I have a second tag this year, I dont tend to pass up legal deer. (or elk for that matter) i figure with all I put into the hunt- fuel, tag money, etc. I ought to get the freezer stocked, so thats what I do.. this might explain why I have a fair pile of small whitetail racks, I dont pass up much..

Well put, I agree the freezer comes first

[724wd]

[huntnnw]

Last day of the late season for me.. I prefer to chase mature bucks and spend as much time in the woods

[jechicdr]

Healthy buck to doe ratio is very important to healthy deer populations and competition between bucks makes it a lot more fun with them responding to calls and rattling.  Habitat is much more important at this time to larger deer populations than letting does survive and breed.  If a certain area has the maximum sustainable population, then any production in excess of the natural death rate will mean more deer will die of starvation and disease because of overpopulation or need to be harvested by hunting.

Ideally, if you could have a 1:1 buck to breeding doe ratio, competition between buck for those few does would make for some exciting action.  If you killed 1/2 the breeding does, the remaining 1/2 could in theory produce enough does to replace the ones that were killed and produce as many bucks...which would have to be harvested from the buck side to keep the population stable.

Lets play with some numbers (assuming carrying capacity is 200 deer):

100 buck and 100 does...harvest 50 does and 50 bucks...remaining 50 does on average will produce 50 does and 50 bucks...leaving 100 does and 100 bucks

from same starting point harvest 10 does and 90 bucks...remaining 90 does will produce 90 bucks and 90 does...leaving 180 does and 100 bucks (90% young bucks)  Now you have 80 more animals than can be sustained, so you will kill off 50 does and 30 bucks to starvation leaving 130 does and 70 bucks.  You can probably see where that trend would end up

lets start with 50 bucks and 100 does.  Kill 10 bucks and 50 does.  Remaining 50 will produce 50 does and 50 bucks leaving 90 bucks and 100 does (none die...190 deer).  Next year take 40 bucks and 50 does.  You'll be left with 100 does and 100 bucks

Might be a little oversimplification (especially assuming that each doe can produce 2 offspring each year, but you can see the point.  Killing does (as long as production rate replenishes the breeding doe population) in the long run lets you kill more bucks, and the bucks are older a.k.a bigger (you're letting half the bucks walk and survive another year)

So yes, I'll kill a doe every time...until a buck bigger than any other that I have shot walks out.  Now I won't shoot a doe when I'm elk hunting, but I also won't kill any buck that isn't a wall hanger.

[RadSav]

A buddy of mine moved to Wisconsin for business.  Found some private land with a ton of big bucks that had not been hunted for years.  The widow that owned the property said "Please" take your three deer from the property and bring a few friends.  Each guy had to kill two does before the state would issue them a buck tag.

Yep!  It happened...bucks, bucks everywhere and not a doe to shoot.  Wasn't until rifle season they finally had their buck tags.  But the old lady would not allow them to use rifles on her property

Here when the freezer is empty the Squaw will shoot a mature doe in the early season if it has no fawns.  Takes the pressure off and allows us to be more selective during the first half of elk season.  They sure taste good and she has one heck of a good time getting a hunt to herself without worry I'll get trigger happy and mess things up (It may have happened once or twice ).  Many of our most memorable hunts together end with her tagging a big ole flathead.

[Bean Counter]

My first deer was a doe.

If I ever move out east and I'm only allowed one doe and one buck, I'd like to shoot a doe first. That way, I know there is meat in the freezer and I wont be tempted to settle for less of a buck.