Shooting Does: When, Where, Which Ones, How Many | Bowhunting Whitetails w/ Bill Winke
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- Опубліковано 15 жов 2024
- I have been shooting does on the farms I have hunted since 1995. Since then I have shot hundreds. Some farms needed lots of does shot while others didn't need as many. I discuss how to decide the number of does you need to shoot. I have also learned that there are a few twists when deciding which does to shoot, where to shoot them and when to shoot them. In this episode I discuss all the variables related to the doe management equation.
I never thought about shooting them from the middle of the property to try to have the bucks disperse in rather than out. Great info as always, Bill!
It definitely makes a difference if you shoot enough to create a vacuum and it works even better if you can get a few bordering neighbors to do the same thing. Good luck.
As always thanks!
I know pretty much who shoots what for deer in about a three section by three section square that I’m in the middle of. I started making a point of casually asking neighbors about does a few years ago, seems nobody shoots any.
In December last year I arrowed six, it was very fun, a couple from blinds and four from tree stands. I’ll try this again this year, taking a few early and some late hoping it makes a difference for us here in SE MN. But what I realized and know it will help with is the personal practice for the process of arrowing all deer. I quickly realized how sloppy I had gotten on making the right moves in the stand before the shot.
Good topic today thanks
Ksf
Agreed. Shooting lots of does definitely makes you a much more effective and efficient bowhunter. When I was at my best was when I was shooting a lot of does. Good input and keep up the good work.
You NEVER hear people talk about shooting does before the rut. It’s an important conversation to have. Awesome video as usual, Bill.
In the perfect world, you would kill them all before the rut. Have a great day.
@@bill-winke absolutely. Unfortunately many of the same people that represent 'trophy hunting' and argue 'proper management' miss that fact. I have talked to several people about this in recent history. Glad to see you do a video!
For me, I shoot my does as early in the season as possible and I don't hunt for them from stands which I intend to Buck hunt from. Enjoyed your video.
Excellent strategy McIlvaine. I agree with that 100%.
Hey Bill, one thing I would have also mentioned is that taking does early in the season allows you to keep your property unpressured during late October and into November when the hunting is best. Shooting and recovering does definitely adds pressure, especially to small properties.
Definitely Ben. That is a great point. I hate going in after a doe during the rut. I used to carry a doe drag and just pull them out when I left, but that only work where the walk is short or the terrain easy. Going in later with an ATV to get them is going to cause some disturbance, for sure. Have a great day.
I enjoyed the content and learned some stuff. Hopefully it sticks. I mean someone with this kind of knowledge doesn’t wake up knowing the things. Thankfully life is an endless journey of learning, and I too will be able to learn and advance as I progress.
For sure Drew. I always sat on stand trying to figure out why a deer did a certain thing. Sometimes there is an answer and sometimes they just do random stuff, but asking that question all the time keeps you learning. Also, read as much as you can (and of course watch or videos!). Have a great day.
Hey Bill! So a few hunting season ago I heard a western hunter saying you should never harvest the elk herd leading cow because it disrupts their migrating flow and can lead to many more cows being taken as they fumble around to establish a new 'pecking order' and continue on their route. I cant recall if this was an actual hunting regulation or if they just kinda have a shared understanding that 'we dont shoot this one'. They also mentioned certain herds they may put a colored ribbon on that cow so hunters know, do not shoot.... so now the heart of my thought here, ever since I heard that I have wondered if it could also apply to Whitetails. Obviously, they are not migrating long distances like an elk so very different however, what I have noticed hunting the hills of PA all my life, especially later in the hunting season, the does absolutely will travel in a single file line when moving across the terrain. Moreover, I have noticed when there are say, 4,5,6 deer running together that the lead doe is likely the most experienced. Therefore, I have always attempted to target the does coming in the line rather than taking out the first one, in hopes that the lead doe will continue to lead the others to safety. So often when the lead doe is taken out, the others will kind of scatter for a moment which seems to lead to others in that herd getting harvested. My theory is anecdotal I know, just something I have tossed around in my brain for a few years and would love to hear others thoughts on this.
Wondered that also about elk
I am not sure on how shooting the lead doe would affect the survival of the others. That is likely related to the area where they live more than anything else. In many places in the Midwest, the does just go from a bedding area 200 to 300 yards to a feeding area and then back to bed. They really don't travel much. But I can see in areas with limited food sources where the does do need to travel more, they would need a good "leader" to keep them safe. I will file this topic into my "I am not sure" folder and see if I can learn more about it. Good question.
Great information Bill 👍 I've gone by head length predominately when removing doe's . The mature doe's always seem to have larger and longer nose to base skulls.
Absolutely. Great advice. You can also see it in their belly line. Like bucks, the older ones appear to have shorter legs only because their chest and belly line is lower. Have a great day.
As a resident/hunter in Ontario Canada, I find these management discussions quite interesting (and jealousy invoking lol). We can buy 1 buck tag. Then you can apply for an antlerless tag which you probably won't get. And you can apply for a second tag, which again, you probably will not get. So that doesn't leave much room for management strategies
You are right about that. I have hunted in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba and in all those places the deer densities were pretty low. I hunted the Interlakes of Manitoba and saw three deer in six full days of hunting in late October! Those were some long days! So there wasn't as much need for shooting a lot of does in those areas. I am sure there are places with higher densities than the areas I hunted, though. Thanks for the support and have a great day.
Great information Bill! Have a great day!
Thanks Eric. Much appreciated.
Good info Bill! Always like to here your take and knowledge. I enjoy taking Does all season. Our numbers are very high as is hunting pressure. Our plots sure feel the pressure. I’m hotwiring 3d fence on the beans today. Take care!
Would not hurt to go on a doe shooting campaign for a few years and ideally get your neighbors to help too. Having fewer overall numbers will make the bucks healthier and less stressed even in areas with higher hunting pressure. Good luck.
Good topic Bill. Not sure how true this but I was always told the older does will begin to produce less fawns. That being said I have always targeted older does.
I am sure that is true on some level. Not sure exactly what the numbers look like, but I also know that most bucks dramatically slow down their breeding as they get old. I am sure a biologist out there knows the exact numbers on this stuff. Have a great day.
I've made comments on other sites, and gotten laughed at, for saying it was better to kill does early season rather than in the late season, after a dominant buck has been locked up with them for several days. "It doesn't make any difference" they say. Thanks for saying it does make a difference.
You are welcome Phil and thanks for the support and for the comment. Have a great weekend.
Great information Bill and I totally agree with you on this topic even though I have shot a few late season does
Thanks for the support Paul. I appreciate it. Have a great day.
They seem more territorial than people think. Every year I watch a mature doe give birth to twins. Well they get ran off to the neighbors to find their own area. Even mature bucks don’t like to be around does until rut. Worth taking some risks and managing out some of these older does. Thanks Bill
Agree. If you create a high density area, the bucks will fringe out. That is why my farm in southern Iowa was so good during it's prime. We shot tons of does (we tried to kill them all) and that created a vacuum that filled with bucks dispersing from other properties nearby with much higher densities. That would not work in an area with low density, but if you are in an area with overall high numbers, you can become a net importer of bucks - more bucks come onto your property to stay than leave each year. Very good insight. Thanks.
Many have a hard time shooting does, my property I’ve been growing for 10 years, haven’t shot but just a few doe over that time frame, last year harvested 1 doe, and the way it looks I’ll harvest a few more this year on 80 acres. I base it on the resident population. Although hard to do because I have the only habitat improved land anywhere around me.
That is a good plan Steve. When I am consulting, the first thing I try to do is figure out if the client has too many and then we discuss what he sees in a typical day and from there we come up with a rough idea of his buck to doe ratio and deer density. Then we settle on a doe harvest number. Not as accurate as a true camera survey, but it will get them close and it sounds like you are doing roughly the same thing there. Good job. Have a great day.
You're right Bill. I think unless you have thousands of acres, trying to micro manage your own parcel isn't going to make much difference. It's hard to say what your neighbors are shooting and how many. I've always stuck to the rule of harvest a buck, harvest a doe. Most of the time the harvesting of that doe is first thing the next season on opening day. I have no idea if this is even making a difference, but just harvesting bucks without any does seems counterproductive to me if you're trying to maintain a healthy deer herd, at least as far as you're able to influence it while they're on your parcel.
RS, I think that is a good overall plan. I would say that if you have lots of does, maybe harvesting more for a couple years will balance that ratio, but if you have only a smaller tract, you will never be able to shoot enough to change the herd dynamics of the entire neighborhood, but you can create a vacuum of sorts where bucks are more likely to live. They tend not to like to live around a lot of does once they get a bit older. Having an area with lower overall doe density in a neighborhood with lots of deer will make your property more attractive to bucks. Good luck.
Thanks bill for the info a lot of great videos of doe hunting for whatever the reason I get really pumped up for doe hunting I think it's harder than buck hunting because my area doesn't hold bucks and the does are really aware of people coming into their area , my theory for doe hunting because I have to thin the heard is to target mature doe because they will have 2 or 3 fawn that next season to where shooting a fawn might have 1 fawn the next season and ideally I like to get my 2 doe down the first 2 hunts and let things settle down then concentrate on filling my buck tag
Agree with you on that. I also think that shooting an old smart doe is way harder than shooting a buck. They spend all their time being hyper alert because they are also protecting their fawns. It is super hard to get anything past an old doe. Have a great day.
Hey Bill, great video! Love your channel! What would be your recommendations for small properties say 10 acres or less where you are trying to attract does to bed on your small property to attract bucks during the rut? Thanks
You will have to make it thick so they feel secure there. I would also have a small food plot, that would be critical in making the small property more attractive. Then, you have to hunt it super careful from the fringes so they don't know you are hunting them. It can work, but you just have to be super careful. Good luck.
Thank you!!!
If I shoot does, I always try to do it in a lower impact area so that it adds the least amount of intrusion on my property.
Having my sanctuary in the middle of the property and food sources towards the perimeter, it naturally pulls deer from the center of my property as well as off the neighbors.
Good advice. When shooting does I usually only shoot them in areas that have good access so I can get to them easily with a four wheeler and not make too much commotion. When I am deep in the cover, I usually don't shoot them. Thanks for the input.
I'd have to agree with that vacuum hypothesis Bill, even on small farms. I had my best year seeing mature buck activity (wild chasing and multiple bucks locked down) in the stand after shooting 4 does the previous year. I'm not saying correlation equals causation always but in this case...maybe
It is harder to see on a small scale and that is why co-ops are so effective, but even if your direct neighbors will shoot a few more does than usual, everyone should benefit from importing bucks dispersing from higher density areas outside your core.
@@bill-winke very good information! And not to mention some live target situations are very beneficial!!
Hey Biil, appreciate your videos. How much should the Buck to doe ratio play a part when determining how many does to kill? Is that the number one issue?
Chad, I think the overall number of deer in the area is the number one determiner. If there aren't many deer, you should lay off the does even if the ratio is whacked. But if there are plenty of deer overall, then the ratio becomes the number one indicator. I think 3 does per buck is attainable in most free ranging herds and 1 to 1 in areas with lots of cooperating neighbors. I created a setting with 3 bucks per doe on my southern Iowa farm for several years. That was a super fun time to hunt bucks. I will do an episode about that some time.
Great video Bill
Thanks Greg. Much appreciated.
Great information Bill!
Thanks Daron. I appreciate it.
Hi Bill, informative video. If you reduce the amount of does before the rut won't that make the bucks fight more to breed the does thus increasing the chance of injuries and the stress level? Thanks for the great videos.
Maybe more injuries but lower overall stress levels with fewer does. When there are hot does around for an extended time, the bucks are definitely on the move day and night. It is ideal if the rut is done and over with in a short burst in early to mid November and the bucks can settle back to feeding. When I had flipped my buck to doe ratio on my farm, I saw tons of injured bucks (Yes), but the overall buck quality really improved, the intensity of the rut was greater (no mid-November lull) and the bucks were done breeding very quickly. Good question. Have a great day.
Which does and which doesn't?
Would you ever do a drone recon mission in the winter and again in the early spring to get an accurate picture of the deer on your property Bill? And thanks as always for the content.
Steven, I once had a biologist working for Cabela's at the time do a full blown trail camera survey on my farm using the methods put forth by the QDMA. He ran a certain density of cameras for a certain amount of time over small corn piles and than came up with his results. Interestingly, his analysis was almost exactly what I had predicted from hunting the farm. The trail camera survey is great if you aren't on the farm much, but if you are out there often, you pretty well know what your density and buck to doe ratios are. You can find that survey method here: deerassociation.com/run-trail-camera-survey/
So here in west virginia We don't have giant books like you guys do in Iowa. But what if the Bucks we have are showing up with the does in early season?
I wouldn't read anything into that. Could just be that there are limited places to feed so they are thrown together for that reason. Rut will happen there at the usual time. Good luck.
So bill do you think shooting does in the middle of your land can hurt ur chance for the rut on mature buck. Do u have doe/kill stands and buck/rut stands. Myself i have stands i wont hunt untill the rut
Trans Am Guy; I can't speak for hunting in the midwest but I can say that in the deep South, I have personally taken some of my larger bucks from stands where I have harvested does from earlier. Normally 3 to 4 weeks after harvesting does.
Like you, I don't hunt some stands until the rut, so for sure I am not going to shoot many does in those areas, but like Nathan, we have shot some really good bucks in stands where we have pounded does earlier in the season. That part I would not worry about. In late season 2008/2009 my friend Mike Sawyer shot 5 does from one stand in three days and on the fourth day he shot a 180-inch eight pointer! All with a bow! Sure that is an exception, but those gut piles didn't affect overall movement and Mike was careful to get the does out quickly with the least amount of intrusion possible. I don't kill a lot of does during the rut, but I don't see a problem with it either.
It is a controversial topic. And, I agree, every situation is different. It's good that Bill stresses that it's not a "one fits all". I've found that thinning the doe herd has been probably a 50/50 success rate so I'm extremely careful in where I do this. The primary reason for failure has been not communicating with neighbors. So, one thing for sure, don't be afraid to reach out to your neighboring properties and see what kind of management they may (or may not) be implementing. And, might I add, that may be a relationship that takes time because it seems more and more that sharing any type of hunting information is taboo. However, if properly managed tactics amongst neighbors comes to fruition then it will definitely benefit everyone.
All are great points. Thanks for the input and the support. Have a great day.
I think shooting does early in the north or big woods leaves winter browse. Not fan of late season doe hunts.
Very good point. Thanks for the input.
I always get conflicted about shooting does early because I worry about the fawns surviving. We have plenty coyotes. And usually we'll have spotted fawns showing up 3 weeks into season.
The doe definitely helps to keep them alive for the fall, but there needs to be some balance. Most of the fawns can figure it out on their own by October. Good luck.
Late born fawns (still spotted during season) are a sign of doe overpopulation. If the does do not all get bred in the first rut, they will come into estrus again about a month later. If all the neighbors are buck hunters for 10 years, you can have a serious doe to buck imbalance and then the ugly does get bred on the second, third or fourth rut, leading to late born fawns.
A doe has about 12-24 hours where she has to get bred or she misses the cycle for that month. If you have 5 bucks and 20 does in a square mile, all the bucks are busy with the pretty does on the first rut and 5-8 does will get bred with12-15 does that missed the window and have to wait until next month.
Shoot more does and you will see all your fawns born early in spring and no more August-born fawns.
@@mattnewcomb4147 your "ugly/pretty" does had me cracking up this morning. It would be so hilarious to have a swollen neck buck come into a clearing with a doe, check her out, shake its head and walk off. "Ewww, what an uggo!" 😆
I have 50 acres in WV, all of the neighboring properties try to kill their legal 7 deer a year, I try not to shoot for on my property, thinking if I have doe on my property, I have a better chance of drawing the bigger bucks to my place during the rut? What's your thoughts
If the overall neighborhood has limited deer numbers, you are right. I wouldn't shoot them either. But if no one is shooting does and the population is getting too high, then I think you will help your property to thin some does each year. Make room for new deer to move in. Good luck.
Thanks Bill!
I appreciate the support David.
Seems like a sensible plan
Thanks for the comment. Have a great Thanksgiving.
Good video and lots of interesting perceptions on which does to harvest, and why. Like so many aspects of deer management, I feel this topic is unduly influenced by the hyper-focus on bucks, and more specifically, buck antlers. That should have virtually no impact on how you determine the number of does to harvest or which does to harvest. To think otherwise is a fine mixture of wishful thinking and cat-herding. There are only two things to understand when it comes to harvesting does. Can you positively assert, through population analysis and regeneration of highly-preferred browse species, that doe harvest is indicated? If you can do that, using a process that is at least somewhat objective, then the only other thing to take into consideration is that you should harvest all of the does you need to remove as early as possible in the season. This reduces browse pressure on those key species, and ostensibly improves a host of other "stress" factors, as soon as possible. If you have too many mouths to feed, the sooner you have fewer mouths to feed, the better off your habitat is going to be...and THAT should be the focus, not bucks and buck antlers.
Good points Jason. I agree 100%. I have consulted on a number of properties and very few of them didn't have too many deer vs browse pressure. I have been in places where the preferred browse has been gone for so long that it will likely never grow back unless you literally remove all the deer for 10 years. The goal is to keep the numbers in check. If in doubt, it is better to shoot too many than not enough. It is way easier to back off on doe harvest if you decide after a few years that you have shot too many, than to try to catch up if you fall behind. Good insight. Thanks.
@@bill-winke - I've had a couple of friends/customers who wanted more deer on their property, and that's surprisingly easy to fix in just 3-5 years. The harder problem to fix is too many deer! In fact, in some situations (where doe harvest is low throughout the region) it's basically impossible to change the density in your area. The challenges that creates for long-term habitat improvement are hard to articulate for anyone who hasn't seen it, first hand. The uninitiated will think, "it must be nice" having that many deer, but it's not! To your point, it's hard to even know if you're making headway because the key browse species are basically non-existent, from too many years with too many deer. :)
@@jasonbroom7147 I agree. I have spoken with some biologists that say that in habitats that have been decimated for many years, the preferred browse species may never come back even if you nearly wipe out the deer. As a deer hunter/manager you can still improve those areas by improving cover (thicker), but mostly what you will get is stuff deer don't eat. You will have to provide a lot of ag/food plots to keep them from falling behind on nutrition, shoot as many as you can (as well as your neighbors) and maybe even pray for nature to step in via blue tongue/EHD. Then maybe, little by little using fire you can remove the stuff the deer don't eat and replace it with some stuff they do. A very long process! Good discussion.
I’m leasing a property in the Brush Country of North Mexico, in Nuevo Leon. They just recently starting allowing to kill does on the ranch. I shot the first doe in probably 10-15 years. The bucks on the lease are in the 115-130 range and probably have a 10-1 ratio of does to bucks. We’ve counted up to 30 does in a sendero. Is it possible that the high doe to buck ratio is impacting the antler size of the bucks?
Miguel, yes it is definitely possible. The number of does each buck has to breed - and the extended timeframe over which he has to stay on the prowl for does - will definitely create a lot of stress. My guess is that if the ratio was closer to 1 to 1 (3 does per buck would be a great intermediate target) you would see better, healthier bucks. Stress from breeding is a huge factor in the overall health of a buck. Good luck.
@@bill-winke Thank you for the reply! I got a long road ahead to get the doe numbers down.
I usually try and shoot does early, and during the late season.
Early is ideal, Mitchell. The sooner you can shoot them the better. Have a great day.
Dream Big brother 🙏
Amen Edward. You too.
Agree with that strategy
Thanks for the support Mike. Much appreciated.
I don’t have land to manage, hunt public land only. I hunt for two reasons… meat and enjoyment. I’ll shoot a doe anytime given the chance. I will generally lay off the does during the rut when I am buck hunting, but they’re by no means off limits then either. That’s just me, I enjoy harvesting a big buck as much as the next guy, but also enjoy putting meat on the table.
Good point. We love to eat venison too. Shooting does is a thrill no matter where you do it. Good luck and have a great day.
Bill, I thought gender was determined by the male? If that is still true then the buck determines whether it will be a male or female fawn. Is that the current understanding?
James, I don't know anything about that. But the study I was quoting stated that if a buck's mother is dead, he is much more likely to still be there at age 2 1/2 than if she is still alive. The study inferred that it had to do with the doe kicking the buck out of the family group (and thus the area) at age 1 1/2. Not sure if that study has been reproduced, but it definitely guided my thinking for many years.
@@bill-winke Bill, thank you for your reply. I was referring to your comment about a doe that had 2 buck fawns, that it may be more valuable or desirable to let her live. If the gender was determined by the buck then what you had said would not apply.
I love your content and your bringing your daughter along as you teach us. There are a lot of experts out there and some are even worth listening to….. you are one of those. Thank you.
@@jamesgoetz3618 Thanks James. I appreciate the kind words and the comment. I hope you have a great weekend.
I always figured to kill the does coming from other properties so the bucks there would have to travel more to find does. I can see it both ways, killing deer centered on you property and deer coming from neighbors property.
I think it is ideal if the whole neighborhood is managed as a single segment, but it is hard to get that kind of cooperation. I have just seen that my farm got way better when I created the vacuum and sucked the bucks in to live there that were dispersing from areas with higher density nearby. That would work better if your direct neighbors were also doing the same thing to make the vacuum area bigger. This only works in areas with higher than normal overall deer densities. Have a great day.
How about a couple of each…😁👊🏻🏹
The other issue with regards to genetics and antler size that is nearly always overlooked is that does also contribute 50% of their DNA to their offspring and we have no way of knowing how any given doe might contribute to her male fawn's antler growth. Besides that, the science is pretty clear now that nutrition is far more important than genetics in antler development, so just shoot the deer you want without worrying about the implications for future deer because we can't how our harvests can/might/do/won't impact the next bucks in line. So which does do I shoot? The ones that blow at me! Nothing gets you on my list faster! Haha
Keith, you summed it very well. I should have mentioned that the does that pick me off get shot - plain and simple! I agree 100% with your genetics summary also. I have talked to a lot of top biologists about it and they all say that unless you can pedigree the doe also, trying to control genetics by just shooting a few small antlered bucks is useless with regards to changing genetics. It can make room in the herd for a buck with better antlers to step in, but won't, in itself, change the overall genetics of a normal free ranging herd. Good input.
Just a personal thing in that I take the oldest ones . I really work at looking hard at them through binoculars to verify? Generally the four that hunt the farm do the same. Naturally any that have like a bad leg etc from an accident are taken. First time hunter guests can take whatever deer deer gives them a proper shot opportunity. We have so many does usually it won’t matter anyway. Most years there are at least 20 does taken and the head count is always about the same next fall. Except for last fall. Coyotes! So many we couldn’t phase them with thermal scopes. They had to take a lot of fawns out.
Tim, yes, to make an impact in an area with high deer numbers you almost have to remove half the total doe number! That means you have to shoot every one of them that gives you a chance. That takes a lot of work. I have seen that coyote numbers cycle. We had a couple of years with high coyote numbers (at least four different groups howling each evening) and then shortly after that about ten years with almost none (almost never heard the howling)! Hopefully nature culls your coyotes soon. Good luck.
Deer sex ratios, and how many does to take should also be informed by the amount of groceries the does are consuming. If looking at preferred and lesser preferred browse in December, and it is low or decimated you should take more does. Lack of groceries will create low weight dams and fawns that may never reach their potential. This can handicap low weigh buck fawns generational. Groceries, especially browse must be in supply or you must shoot does.
We saw that in southern Iowa. Also, though we want to see immediate results, this actually takes a generation to see. For example, if the bucks suddenly get more food they don't get a bunch bigger, but if the does get more food their buck fawns that are yet to be born grow bigger. You are right, it all comes down to maximum health, minimum stress and it starts for the buck before he is even born.
I use doe for bait so i dont take any till later in gun season
Unfortunately, most of the farms I have hunted over the years have had too much "bait". The one we own now is an exception. Lower deer density so I have the chance to keep it that way. I will probably shoot does pretty aggressively this year. Good input.
I always target the Doe that overreacts to my sent or presence, and try to kill them immediately. I can get an older doe that is more tolerant of human activity, and she teaches the yearlings not to be overly concerned with my activity on my farm. The doe that blows at me for half an hour after I walk down a lane is signing her death sentence. If you do that for several years you can get families that don't blow your cover while hunting. A good doe will cross my sent trail and look around but continue on their way without alerting everything in the area. Provided you work on your farm often enough year round. It does not always work. But I have had many seasons in the last 30 years on my farm, with doe family groups that will let you walk through a 5 acre field and just get out of your way, stepping into the woods only to pop back out in five minutes without making a fuss or a sound. Those deer are always safe on my farm! If you don't believe me look at deer on a golf course or state park that have no fear of humans. You can alter their behavior for a few seasons. The young buck yearlings get run off I can't change that behavior, but I can get a couple generations of does that are use to me and don't see me as a big threat.
This is really interesting stuff. I appreciate the perspective. I need to spend more time researching ways to make them "comfortable" with normal human activity and how we can apply this to hunting. I have seen fawns that would literally stand in the food plot while I was planting it or mowing it, etc. Even while I was on foot. They pay almost no attention to me. I keep hoping they are buck fawns! Have a great day. I once had a small six pointer follow me to my stand and watch me climb up before just wandering off. I hoped he would hang around for another four years! Very interesting subject.
Other considerations that support culling older does - they're bigger and eat more, they may produce fewer fawns and they are more likely to be territorial and dominate other deer (including bucks) much of the year. Also, younger does should carry more recent genetics, if culling inferior bucks for years (usually not as manageable as we would like to believe).
Those are all good points. If you are trying to cycle into better genetics, killing older does would seem to be one very good way to aid that process. Thanks for the input!
Bobby taught me to shoot what the lord sends or he will quit sending them .. 😇
You southern boys like to stack them up, I have learned that for sure. I should put a disclaimer on all my videos that if you live south of Tennessee, just ignore any advice and shoot whatever walks past! Have a great day.
@@bill-winke
We do pass yearling bucks though .. 😎
The best time to shoot a doe is when you can😀
Dr. Grant Woods told me that one time during an interview, so you are in good company with that advice. Have a great day David.
I only shoot does that don’t have fawns. My thoughts were she’s either wasn’t a good mother, too old to breed or there was something wrong were she couldn’t have fawns. I always leave the does that have fawns alone unless it’s a population control hunt
Good point. If you are trying to reduce numbers, the does with the fawns are the ones to target. Some people even shoot doe fawns in a super aggressive herd reduction setting. That is totally legal and ethical, but is often looked at as being a bit harder to accept. Have a great day.
Does don't get too old to breed. Baring illness or injury a whitetail doe will breed her entire life.
First
Thanks Kurt.
as a older hunter i find doe's fill the freezer faster .....
Amen. Through my life I bet I have killed many does for every buck I have shot.