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Early Season Doe Question
#6495084
10/14/16 03:10 PM
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,789
Matt
OP
Pro Tracker
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OP
Pro Tracker
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,789 |
In Red River County this year, the doe season is the first 16 days of the season. For the last several years it has been the four days of Thanksgiving weekend. I like to take a doe or two each year because they taste better to me and our buck to doe ratio is always out of wack. My question is that all of the doe on camera this year all still have this years fawns still with them. This spawned the conversation in the office about harvesting a doe with this year's little one still hanging around. I've always been of the school of thought that by November, even the baby deer can take care of themselves. Some of the guys here don't agree with me. What do you think?
Thanks!! Matt
The psycho nut bags have always been there. They just get better press now. Take away their guns, they'll use knives. Take away their knives and they'll use sticks!!
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Re: Early Season Doe Question
[Re: Matt]
#6495132
10/14/16 03:40 PM
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 9,185
hook_n_line
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 9,185 |
Fawns with spots don't shoot the doe. If they have no spots they will be fine if there is a good deer population. I shot a doe 2 years ago that I thought had no fawn. After retrieving her I saw a fawn walk out into the field. The other does kept pushing it away at first. I felt bad cause everytime I would go this fawn would come out or I would find it sleeping in the feeder pen. It hardly ever left the first winter. Eventually she rejoined the herd. I know her because she has a broken ear from where another doe stomped her for trying to get some milk. She still comes around and had twins this year.
Sometimes it's hard being me! But somebody has to do it.
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Re: Early Season Doe Question
[Re: Matt]
#6495133
10/14/16 03:41 PM
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 32,484
kmon11
junior
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junior
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 32,484 |
By November all but some real late fawns will be capable of taking care of themselves. Most deer will have their winter coats by then and spots gone with their first Winter coat. Does with spotted fawns get a pass from me but that is just me.
Shoot your does when legal to do so. According to state of Texas biologists of something happens to a doe another will usually adopt a fawn if needed. His advice was shoot the does early in season and don't worry about it.
lf the saying "Liar, Liar your pants on fire" were true Mainstream news might be fun to watch
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Re: Early Season Doe Question
[Re: Matt]
#6495146
10/14/16 03:51 PM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,605
fouzman
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,605 |
We shoot our does as early as possible for two reasons. We have a bunch to kill. They get very hard to find once pre-rut/rut kicks in. I won't shoot a doe if it has a spotted fawn, but everything else is fair game. Including doe fawns, if necessary.
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Re: Early Season Doe Question
[Re: Matt]
#6495174
10/14/16 04:10 PM
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 577
millerliteliker
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 577 |
I prefer to shoot my does in October. That way I know that I only took one deer (no pregnant does). I have no idea if that is a legitimate reason to harvest in October - it is just my own reasoning.
Mathews Z7 Bow for Whitetail and Hogs Remington R-15 .223 REM for predators I also like to "hunt" sporting clays with my Benelli SuperSport!
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Re: Early Season Doe Question
[Re: Matt]
#6495216
10/14/16 04:45 PM
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 28,032
Navasot
Hollywood
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Hollywood
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 28,032 |
If you have high numbers taken them when you can.. if they are not carrying now they will be in a few months... fawns are plenty big enough to take care of themselves... the only down fall to taking doe early is your taking out more buck bait with each one... its all a numbers game though... if you don't have them then be conservative.. if you got to many then take um when you can.. they will be smart come December.. then you just gota hope they get hungry
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Re: Early Season Doe Question
[Re: Matt]
#6495258
10/14/16 05:24 PM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 2,267
Sirrah243
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 2,267 |
I generally end up taking them late in the season because that's when most of them are at the feeder.
�A hunt based only on the trophies taken falls far short of what the ultimate goal should be.� -Fred Bear
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Re: Early Season Doe Question
[Re: Matt]
#6495544
10/14/16 09:23 PM
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 22,252
Texas Dan
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 22,252 |
"Take care of themselves" is a relative phrase. We all know that older doe are always more watchful than their fawns and younger doe and for that reason, are the quickest to detect predators.
While it's true that a fawn can survive on its own, I don't believe there's any question they do better with the aid of more experienced eyes and noses nearby. For that reason, they are easy to identify late in the season after being left behind.
"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
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Re: Early Season Doe Question
[Re: Matt]
#6495554
10/14/16 09:30 PM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
stxranchman
Obie Juan Kenobi
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Obie Juan Kenobi
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296 |
I have always shot does late in the season or extended season. I prefer them for bait to kill bucks during the rut. I target doe with fawns if I need total number of deer down(better producer will always have fawn(s)) or doe without fawn if I do not like the looks of the bucks breeding. Doe fawns if I want to lower doe number over-all if I have an issue with a very late rut with the doe fawns. If a fawn is 5 months old I would not hesitate to shoot the doe. The fawn will hang around the area of the feeder or food plot longer in life if it is orphaned from what I have seen.
Are idiots multiplying faster than normal people?
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Re: Early Season Doe Question
[Re: stxranchman]
#6497626
10/16/16 04:19 PM
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Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 7,759
snake oil
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 7,759 |
I have always shot does late in the season or extended season. I prefer them for bait to kill bucks during the rut. I target doe with fawns if I need total number of deer down(better producer will always have fawn(s)) or doe without fawn if I do not like the looks of the bucks breeding. Doe fawns if I want to lower doe number over-all if I have an issue with a very late rut with the doe fawns. If a fawn is 5 months old I would not hesitate to shoot the doe. The fawn will hang around the area of the feeder or food plot longer in life if it is orphaned from what I have seen. ^^This.....
"You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas".
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