I was just reading a post that made me think... I prefer the young ones. We have several twin makers on our place, so I'd rather shoot a young tender one for the freezer. How about y'all?

I'm not that picky. If I have 6 doe tags that need to be filled, the first six does that present a shot go down.

Mature > Young. If you're working a management plan, the younger deer should have a better chance of carrying the genes you're hoping to reproduce. At that point you want to shoot the older ones to get them out of the pool.

Many of the does we shoot that have fawns are still lactating, meaning the fawns are still nursing. I want to give fawns as much time as possible with momma to give them the best start they can get. Typically we try to take dry does first, then does that obviously have older (and preferably single) fawns. The last doe I want to shoot is a twin mother of young fawns.

Personally I don't really ascribe to the age/tender portion. If you handle it correctly, it's all going to be about the same. I've never in my life had tough backstrap, and we tenderize every roundsteak we cut whether it's a yearling deer or an old mossy-back.

While i disagree with QUITSHOOTINGYOUNGBUCKS about how if you handle it corectly its all about the same, if u have plenty of does to go around shoot what u need to eat.

I try to take out the older does without fawns. On the place I hunt, they tend to be the snorters of the group. They'll snort at anything and spook the rest of them off.

The first one that stands still...then the second one that stands still...repeat as necessary.

Whole lot of truth in that statement

For educational purposes... or preventing education, I always try to shoot them when nobody else is looking/around.

This, but I would prefer a 2-3yr old over a 6yr old

That's what we do here, although I do not and will not shoot another Doe, just ain't got the heart for it anymore. My 2 friends on the other hand, have no problem with it so I let them do the Doe managing.

when i have any cattle on my place, i keep
the older proven bulls and cows that i know
will throw the type of young i want.
the young unproven ones get sold off for
meat or brood stock. when the old ones get to
where they aren't optimal for breeding, they
get sold off to make baloney since they're too
old and tough for prime cuts of meat like the
younger ones

Do you not raise your own replacements, at least heifers?

I shoot the older ones without fawns with them if I am presented a choice.

First to show up is the first to drop.

What is a "does"?

If she's legal, I'll give her a whacking!

Depends on how full my freezer is

This. The snorters and then other older skittish ones

^^^This. Barren does need to be culled.

We try to take older on the basis of hopefully each generation has a better genetic makeup.

Old barren doe even better.

I shoot the fattest one I can find. Age does not matter. I figure if she is fat she must not have had a fawn.