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shooting does early archery season? #6473041 09/29/16 02:47 AM
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lubbockdave Online Content OP
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just wondering what the general consensus is on shooting does early in the archery season.

On one hand a doe is a doe is a doe and if you are thinning does I have always thought you should shoot the first doe you see, then shoot the one next to her, and then the one next to her etc...until you run out of does or tags wink

On the other hand most does will still be running with this years fawn crop, and I'm not sure how I feel about making them fawns orphans before they are ready to be "on their own".

opinions?

Re: shooting does early archery season? [Re: lubbockdave] #6473048 09/29/16 02:52 AM
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I think killing them before the rut is ideal, so the good bucks aren't wasting time with a doe you end up shooting the next day. Get your doe numbers down before the rut and there is a better chance the good bucks breed a higher percentage of your does.

Saying that, I don't think I could pull the trigger on a doe with fawns in tow either.

Last edited by jshouse; 09/29/16 02:53 AM.

Originally Posted By: cameron00
If I send my neighbors a text and ask them to give me feedback on my lawn and plant rye into a giant dong pattern, I'm probably going to get some less than positive feedback. Same goes here.
Re: shooting does early archery season? [Re: lubbockdave] #6473050 09/29/16 02:55 AM
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If a fawn is 5 months old I have no problem shooting does. If your ratio is close then I always waited till after the rut. I have always waited to shoot does at the end of the season, just worked better for me. I don't like a lot of shooting/killing before the rut if I am buck hunting. Others shoot them early to get mouths off the habitat and before they get bred. It also depends on how many does needed to be killed.


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Re: shooting does early archery season? [Re: lubbockdave] #6473056 09/29/16 03:03 AM
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I usually wait until seasons end as well, but man, if you wait to long those fawn fetus are developing and that's a bit unpleasant too. Maybe I am getting to soft for this crazy

Re: shooting does early archery season? [Re: lubbockdave] #6473067 09/29/16 03:09 AM
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Single buck does not breed many does in a year. If you kill a doe early on she still could have been the only doe on the place bred to best buck that year. I never worry about that but use that info to tell when the rut started or if the doe was bred last year or this year. I view it is mouths removed to create more food/room for better younger deer. If your ratio is bad you could wait till later and kill an unbred doe that would cycle again. That is why I don't worry about it. Make space for more young deer to be born next spring/summer.


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Re: shooting does early archery season? [Re: lubbockdave] #6473078 09/29/16 03:25 AM
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I only take a doe or two off the lease each year, during bow season if I can. Like getting those does that do not have fawns around them in archery season, which to me indicates either they didn't have any that year or they lost them. Less mouths to feed through the season as well. I am not MLD property and one hunter to 140 acres. Some of my neighbors kill plenty of does and most years there are more bucks on the cameras than does.


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Re: shooting does early archery season? [Re: lubbockdave] #6473081 09/29/16 03:29 AM
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I try to take all mine in bow season but won't shoot one with a small fawn. If the fawn seems older and doing well, or especially if the doe is barren, I will take her.


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Re: shooting does early archery season? [Re: lubbockdave] #6473083 09/29/16 03:31 AM
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In the area of my AR county that I live I can only shoot does in archery season or if I am a member of the local Coop then I can "x" number of tags for "xxx" number of acres to use during any season with the weapon of that season. Last year during my incidental counts for all of the general and muzzleloader season I saw more bucks than does(1.41 bucks per 1 doe)


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Re: shooting does early archery season? [Re: lubbockdave] #6473085 09/29/16 03:34 AM
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If I need to shoot a lot of does I will target does with twin or at least a fawn. Generally a doe without a fawn will be in better shape and breed back quicker..generally. Also orphaned fawns tend to hang around the location longer IME.


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Re: shooting does early archery season? [Re: lubbockdave] #6473121 09/29/16 04:08 AM
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My place has so far always had more bucks than does. Me and my sons have made does off limits.

Re: shooting does early archery season? [Re: lubbockdave] #6473206 09/29/16 11:51 AM
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I will kill one or two later this month. I will look for doe without fawns. But one needs to die this weekend.


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Re: shooting does early archery season? [Re: lubbockdave] #6473209 09/29/16 11:55 AM
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I hunt on non MLD property and can only kill does during the archery season so the state had made up my mind.
I first try to take out an older doe that doesn't have a fawn if I can.
Does, the older ones, are easier to kill the first part of the season and later in the month they wise up and can be harder to kill than an old buck.

Last edited by Jimbo; 09/29/16 12:00 PM.


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Once i learned that i didn't "NEED" to kill something, and that if i did kill something all the fun stopped and work began, i was a much better hunter.
Re: shooting does early archery season? [Re: lubbockdave] #6473258 09/29/16 12:46 PM
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In bow season I like to take the old wary does out first, if i can get a shot. The ones that come out with her ears laid back about 100 yards out then scoot back in the brush and pop out 60 yards for about 30 seconds then disappear again. Then you see all the other does getting nervous and she pops out about 30 yards and pushes all the does off and ducks out again. Then pops out 20 yards away ears laid back and staring down the other young deer in the feeding area. We consider these the educators and they have to get pulled out first.

Last edited by hook_n_line; 09/29/16 12:47 PM.

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Re: shooting does early archery season? [Re: lubbockdave] #6473330 09/29/16 01:33 PM
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In years past we tried to kill does early, it scratched our trigger finer which made us patient and thinned some deer off of the browse and early season they weren't to spooky and easy to shoot. We stopped that a few years ago because we found the early season pressure made buck hunting very difficult.


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Re: shooting does early archery season? [Re: redchevy] #6473380 09/29/16 02:12 PM
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If a fawn doesn't have spots, it will be fine if you shoot momma. So, if I get the chance, I will shoot momma!!! up

Re: shooting does early archery season? [Re: lubbockdave] #6473455 09/29/16 02:55 PM
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We are in the situation of having too many deer overall, and our B:D ratio is not where we need it (too many does). We need to kill a bunch of does. We are also MLD 3, so rifle starts Oct 1. Finally, we have pretty high fawn recruitment so the great majority of does have fawns in tow.

We try to shoot a significant number of does early towards a few goals. We just don't shoot does who's fawns still have spots.

-Have fewer deer on the range come lower yield winter habitat
-Let our bucks breed does that will survive
-Provide a more intense rut

Re: shooting does early archery season? [Re: lubbockdave] #6477542 10/02/16 11:36 PM
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My biologist told me years ago that if a fawn can eat corn;it can handle anything else in its diet. He specifically told me to shoot every adult doe possible until every MLD tag is filled. Fawn or Not!


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Re: shooting does early archery season? [Re: lubbockdave] #6477613 10/03/16 12:24 AM
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My biologist told me years ago that if a fawn can eat corn;it can handle anything else in its diet. He specifically told me to shoot every adult doe possible until every MLD tag is filled. Fawn or Not!


I wish stupidity was not so handsomly rewarded.
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