texashuntingforum.com logo
Main Menu
Advertisement
Affiliates
Advertisement
Newest Members
TraeMartin, Beatixre, MooseSteed, Trappernewt, casyoo
71987 Registered Users
Top Posters(All Time)
dogcatcher 110,788
bill oxner 91,416
SnakeWrangler 65,413
stxranchman 60,296
Gravytrain 46,950
RKHarm24 44,585
rifleman 44,461
Stub 43,764
Forum Statistics
Forums46
Topics536,986
Posts9,719,148
Members86,987
Most Online25,604
Feb 12th, 2024
Print Thread
Page 2 of 2 1 2
Re: Shooting a doe with fetus [Re: budward] #6642122 01/21/17 02:26 AM
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 224
B
budward Offline OP
Woodsman
OP Offline
Woodsman
B
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 224
Thanks for the responses.

She was old, and mean. I was trying to decide whether to take her or not, when 3 other does showed up she chased them all off, even rearing up and trying to fight one.

Re: Shooting a doe with fetus [Re: budward] #6642244 01/21/17 04:19 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,735
P
passthru Offline
THF Celebrity
Offline
THF Celebrity
P
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,735
It's pretty cool how by this time they look fully developed. Little hooves and all.


I work hard, drink a little and hunt when I can.
NRA Life Member
https://sofalasafaris.com/
Re: Shooting a doe with fetus [Re: budward] #6643206 01/22/17 03:45 AM
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 259
T
Trash Fish and Cull Bucks Offline
Bird Dog
Offline
Bird Dog
T
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 259
Most does killed during the general season have been bred and many miss an opportunity to collect beneficial information from the fetuses. If you measure the length of the fetus, you can backdate to find when the doe bred, usually within a few days of conception. By doing this for several does from a property or area, you can generate a graph of the rut in your specific hunting area.


The recreational value of game is inverse to the artificiality of its origin - Aldo Leopold
Re: Shooting a doe with fetus [Re: QuitShootinYoungBucks] #6643317 01/22/17 11:30 AM
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,133
S
SR025 Offline
THF Trophy Hunter
Offline
THF Trophy Hunter
S
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,133
Originally Posted By: QuitShootinYoungBucks
I killed one on January 17, 2015. She had twins. From what I could tell, she likely would have given birth sometime in March or early April. I can post a pic if you guys can stomach it.

This was the second time it had happened that I noticed. Same thing, late doe hunt probably in 2009-2010.


worthless

Re: Shooting a doe with fetus [Re: TackDriver] #6644114 01/23/17 12:41 AM
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 11,857
S
Simple Searcher Offline
THF Celebrity
Offline
THF Celebrity
S
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 11,857
Originally Posted By: Big Stan
Shoot the old does. Probability some of those old does can't get impregnated. Shooting impregnated does can't be avoided anyway, it will happen sometime.

Shoot doe fawns, better eating and not pregnant (very highly unlikely). I have heard of this practice used in deer management before. Any doe that lives past being a fawn gets to make it to an old age.
I have shot does in November that were pregnant, we had to look hard but we could find a small fetus. This is way more common than you think, most just don't notice.


[Linked Image]

"Man is still a hunter, still a simple searcher after meat..." Robert C. Ruark
Re: Shooting a doe with fetus [Re: budward] #6644558 01/23/17 08:04 AM
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 810
B
Bittercreek Offline
Tracker
Offline
Tracker
B
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 810
I will respond. To the OP.
Manage your Herd. Maintain, decent Balance.
Hunt the weather conditions;
Late Season-Does?
Shooting a Pregnant-Mother.
NO. We don't do it. Ethics; with us.

Re: Shooting a doe with fetus [Re: SR025] #6644734 01/23/17 02:24 PM
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 15,612
Q
QuitShootinYoungBucks Offline
THF Celebrity
Offline
THF Celebrity
Q
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 15,612
Originally Posted By: SR025
Originally Posted By: QuitShootinYoungBucks
I killed one on January 17, 2015. She had twins. From what I could tell, she likely would have given birth sometime in March or early April. I can post a pic if you guys can stomach it.

This was the second time it had happened that I noticed. Same thing, late doe hunt probably in 2009-2010.


worthless


January 17, 2015.



[Linked Image]

https://web.archive.org/web/20170223065011/http:/www.rrdvegas.com/silencer-cleaning.html
Re: Shooting a doe with fetus [Re: QuitShootinYoungBucks] #6645076 01/23/17 05:38 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,832
T
Texan Til I Die Offline
Extreme Tracker
Offline
Extreme Tracker
T
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,832
That's about the most developed I've ever seen. I always check the does I shoot. Yep, this year's was carrying twins.


Silver spurs and gold tequila
keep me hanging on.
Pretty girls and old cantinas
give me shelter from the storm.
Re: Shooting a doe with fetus [Re: budward] #6645081 01/23/17 05:40 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 39,481
R
redchevy Offline
THF Celebrity
Offline
THF Celebrity
R
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 39,481
Have seen a few like that, we always take advantage of the late doe season, just part of it.


It's hell eatin em live
Re: Shooting a doe with fetus [Re: Texan Til I Die] #6645213 01/23/17 07:26 PM
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 15,612
Q
QuitShootinYoungBucks Offline
THF Celebrity
Offline
THF Celebrity
Q
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 15,612
Originally Posted By: Texan Til I Die
That's about the most developed I've ever seen. I always check the does I shoot. Yep, this year's was carrying twins.


I was watching her before the shot, and at one point I thought to myself 'She looks heavy/pregnant'. She had last year's fawns with her at the time, both were above average in size. I couldn't believe how developed the fetuses were. She had to have bred in September or very early October.

Second time I've ever killed three with one shot.


[Linked Image]

https://web.archive.org/web/20170223065011/http:/www.rrdvegas.com/silencer-cleaning.html
Re: Shooting a doe with fetus [Re: budward] #6645959 01/24/17 02:59 AM
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,773
B
Big_Ag Offline
Pro Tracker
Offline
Pro Tracker
B
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,773
You should be killing does as part of your herd/population management. Pregnant or not, you are removing that doe so it does not reproduce. You did the right thing.

As for shooting doe fawns, sounds like a good idea, but the risk of mistaking a buck fawn as a doe fawn are too great to take the risk in my opinion. I've seen many a buck fawn mistaken as a doe or doe fawn.

Re: Shooting a doe with fetus [Re: budward] #6646097 01/24/17 04:06 AM
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 646
T
themoonrulz Offline
Tracker
Offline
Tracker
T
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 646
I get it. You respect life. I'd probably be a little upset as well. But, you didn't know and thus you can't blame yourself. Sometimes hunting isn't pretty.


A real hunter never returns empty handed. Spending time in the wilderness temporarily satifies the soul, but leaves us longing for more.
Re: Shooting a doe with fetus [Re: budward] #6646147 01/24/17 04:50 AM
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 862
R
rattler03 Offline
Tracker
Offline
Tracker
R
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 862
As far as shooting young does, I've heard that if you are culling bucks in hopes of improving genetics then you should target older does and let the younger ones mature. If through your culling plans, you expect to have better genetics in your younger age classes of bucks versus the older ones, the same will be true with your does. So, killing young does would mean you were targeting the "genetically improved" age classes of the herd.

Re: Shooting a doe with fetus [Re: budward] #6648272 01/25/17 05:35 PM
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 126
T
txlongshot Offline
Woodsman
Offline
Woodsman
T
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 126
yes

Re: Shooting a doe with fetus [Re: budward] #6648422 01/25/17 07:10 PM
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 124
old raider Offline
Woodsman
Offline
Woodsman
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 124
Twins too. Very interesting to examine the little guys.

Re: Shooting a doe with fetus [Re: budward] #6648437 01/25/17 07:17 PM
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 6,043
W
Wilhunt Online Content
THF Trophy Hunter
Online Content
THF Trophy Hunter
W
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 6,043
Like already mentioned, 90 plus percent of doe killed in January will have the fetus. It is just the way of nature.

Re: Shooting a doe with fetus [Re: budward] #6648609 01/25/17 08:54 PM
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,112
R
Ranch Dog Offline
Veteran Tracker
Offline
Veteran Tracker
R
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,112
I think that I read every post and it surprises me that no one has mentioned the management value of the fetus. If you are not measuring the fetus you are missing out on information very specific to the rut for the location you are hunting. No matter when you think the rut is, the fetus is the only measure of when it actually takes place. The fetus is measured with a ruler and the date of conception determined from the calculation on the ruler.



After five to six years of collecting data, my hunters and myself had some very useful data. I also put together a simple form using Google docs that my hunters used to record buck sightings via their phone. The fetus measurements correlated with the buck sighting info makes a heck of a planning tool. Now, more than a dozen years since starting this the information it is still updated. Any annual swing from the norm is a cause for consideration but beyond this discussion.



If a doe is taken during a youth hunt, the purpose of recovering the fetus is explained and every young hunter has actively wanted to participate with the measurement and math for determining conception. The fetus shown in the picture in this topic is pretty big but they are measureable pretty quick after conception when they are still little bitty. There is no doubt that this registers with the kids and those who hunt here, just how quick there is a life present in the womb.


[Linked Image]
Re: Shooting a doe with fetus [Re: budward] #6649681 01/26/17 04:30 PM
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 161
T
tbgascorer Offline
Woodsman
Offline
Woodsman
T
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 161
^ I was about to mention the same thing. I have seen it many times. You either are shooting a doe that will be pregnant or she already is. There is no difference.

Page 2 of 2 1 2
Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread

© 2004-2024 OUTDOOR SITES NETWORK all rights reserved USA and Worldwide
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.3