Posted By: BayouGuy
The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 01:29 AM
If I'm going to shoot a doe I don't make any distinction as to whether she has fawns with her or not.
The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns?
Posted By: Roll-Tide
Re: The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 01:35 AM
No doe with fawn for me.
Posted By: Erny
Re: The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 01:41 AM
Originally Posted By: Roll-Tide
No doe with fawn for me.
X2
Posted By: stxranchman
Re: The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 01:47 AM
Depends on how many does I have to shoot, how old the doe herd is, and if I need to really drop numbers. Lot of factors for shooting does but I will usually shoot older does with twins first if I need numbers off. If I like the bucks that I am seeing then I know the younger does without fawns will normally be 1.5 yr old and want them to breed to raise fawns. So I target does with fawns so I know they have bred and produced on fawn at least. Fawns are more valuable to me than the doe itself. I always shoot does late in the season or in the extended season. I also ready a study that said if you shoot a doe with buck fawn(s) those fawns will tend to stay closer to home over time. If a fawn is 5 months old it can make it on its own even younger fawns can make on their own in good habitat conditions and good rainfall years.
Posted By: Roll-Tide
Re: The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 02:08 AM
Intresting. Stxrmn. I got a Doe+buck fawn on camera. He seems to have lost his spots.
Maybe i should take her to keep her from running him off.
Maybe i should take her to keep her from running him off.
Posted By: stxranchman
Re: The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 02:12 AM
Taking does depends on how many you need to shoot and what your ratio is. If you are short on bucks then you might want more fawns being born, so keep older twin producing does. In South Texas most people wait till Thanksgiving weekend to start shooting does since fawn are born later into summer-July. If you are over-populated then shoot does as soon as you can. I just like to wait till the rut is over to keep the shooting and traffic down for seeing bucks. Others have different views and how they shoot does.
Posted By: rickym
Re: The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 02:29 AM
Where I hunt we dont have many deer. We take onw every other year if we want. I only shoot a older mature doe without a young fawn. If an older more mature fawn is around then ill still shoot.
Posted By: QuitShootinYoungBucks
Re: The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 03:47 AM
We shoot them all, but prefer:
Dry does
Does with single large fawn
Does with large twin fawns
Does with single small fawn
Does with small twin fawns.
Usually manage to get most of our doe harvest out of the first three. Also only shoot the last two late in the year. I want them to get as much time with mom as possible.
Dry does
Does with single large fawn
Does with large twin fawns
Does with single small fawn
Does with small twin fawns.
Usually manage to get most of our doe harvest out of the first three. Also only shoot the last two late in the year. I want them to get as much time with mom as possible.
Posted By: spg
Re: The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 04:18 AM
Usually shoot the whistle blower if I shoot a doe but not keen on shooting a doe, my two boys do most of the doe shooting. I don't allow them to shoot a doe with fawns until after Dec. 1st and at designated stands, don't want the bucks ears ringing. Also, don't shoot any after second week of Dec. to let things settle down and most of the does are usually bred after Christmas.
Posted By: BayouGuy
Re: The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 05:36 AM
Originally Posted By: stxranchman
....... I also ready a study that said if you shoot a doe with buck fawn(s) those fawns will tend to stay closer to home over time. If a fawn is 5 months old it can make it on its own even younger fawns can make on their own in good habitat conditions and good rainfall years.
Ranchman, that study was by Dr. Stefan Holzenbein and Dr. Larry Marchinton at the University of Georgia. They found that so long as the fawns are beyond the spot stage they will do just fine without the doe. Actually, they may do better after being separated from the doe.
Here's a summary of their findings.
After placing radio collars on 34-buck fawns, the mothers for 15 of the fawns were caught and released 20 miles away in order to orphan those 15 fawns. The remaining 19-buck fawns were left with their mothers.
The scientist tracked the movements and death rates of the buck fawns for two years and found only 9% of the orphaned bucks moved to new areas and over 85% of bucks left with their mothers moved to new areas. Most of this movement happened during the fawning season and the rut. They concluded that the mothers forced the buck fawns to disperse to reduce inbreeding.
They also found that orphaned bucks lived longer. Only 55% of orphaned bucks died during the study while over 90% of bucks left with their mothers died. Starvation and predators caused most deaths.
The scientists felt that orphaned bucks lived longer because they were able to stay home while non-orphaned bucks were forced into unfamiliar areas (usually 2-6 miles away) where more deaths took place. These bucks did not know the escape routes and best places to find food so more died.
So, by killing does with buck fawns you increase the odds the bucks will stay in your hunting area and increase the odds they will survive into the next year.
Posted By: Microsktr
Re: The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 09:48 AM
Hmmm...that UGA study regarding the buck fawns makes sense to me. I'm in an AR county, so I have to take my 2-doe limit during the archery season, which ends in a couple of days. Luckily, with all the rain this year the does were plentiful (many does had twins this year, and one of them even had triplets), and I filled my 2 doe tags without much of a problem. The first doe I harvested had twin fawns with her, but they had been born so early in the year they had lost their spots long time ago, and are quite large now. The doe had very little milk left in her when I field-dressed her, so it was obvious the fawns weren't feeding on her anymore anyway. Since then, both fawns (buck and doe) have been visiting the feeder regularly, and seem perfectly fine. The second doe I harvested was bone dry...she was an older doe tagging along with another doe who had twins. Even though I have meat in the freezer now, I may have to re-think my strategy for taking does next year, as I definitely want to keep the bucks around on my place (got a high ratio of does to bucks as it is right now). Thanks for sharing.
Posted By: Deerhunter61
Re: The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 10:38 AM
Originally Posted By: Roll-Tide
No doe with fawn for me.
Posted By: Deerhunter61
Re: The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 10:38 AM
Originally Posted By: BayouGuy
Originally Posted By: stxranchman
....... I also ready a study that said if you shoot a doe with buck fawn(s) those fawns will tend to stay closer to home over time. If a fawn is 5 months old it can make it on its own even younger fawns can make on their own in good habitat conditions and good rainfall years.
Ranchman, that study was by Dr. Stefan Holzenbein and Dr. Larry Marchinton at the University of Georgia. They found that so long as the fawns are beyond the spot stage they will do just fine without the doe. Actually, they may do better after being separated from the doe.
Here's a summary of their findings.
Very interesting!
After placing radio collars on 34-buck fawns, the mothers for 15 of the fawns were caught and released 20 miles away in order to orphan those 15 fawns. The remaining 19-buck fawns were left with their mothers.
The scientist tracked the movements and death rates of the buck fawns for two years and found only 9% of the orphaned bucks moved to new areas and over 85% of bucks left with their mothers moved to new areas. Most of this movement happened during the fawning season and the rut. They concluded that the mothers forced the buck fawns to disperse to reduce inbreeding.
They also found that orphaned bucks lived longer. Only 55% of orphaned bucks died during the study while over 90% of bucks left with their mothers died. Starvation and predators caused most deaths.
The scientists felt that orphaned bucks lived longer because they were able to stay home while non-orphaned bucks were forced into unfamiliar areas (usually 2-6 miles away) where more deaths took place. These bucks did not know the escape routes and best places to find food so more died.
So, by killing does with buck fawns you increase the odds the bucks will stay in your hunting area and increase the odds they will survive into the next year.
Posted By: Texas Dan
Re: The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 11:15 AM
No. I'm not that desperate for the meat, and there are plenty of deer taken in East Texas to keep their numbers in check with available browse.
Posted By: lthomas132
Re: The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 11:22 AM
Originally Posted By: Microsktr
I'm in an AR county, so I have to take my 2-doe limit during the archery season, which ends in a couple of days..
Not sure I understand this part. Why do you have to take your 2 doe during archery season only in a AR county?
Posted By: REALKILLER
Re: The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 01:30 PM
Thats just cold and crude Jimmy Joes hillbilly huntin.
Posted By: stxranchman
Re: The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 02:15 PM
Originally Posted By: lthomas132
Originally Posted By: Microsktr
I'm in an AR county, so I have to take my 2-doe limit during the archery season, which ends in a couple of days..
Not sure I understand this part. Why do you have to take your 2 doe during archery season only in a AR county?
Every AR county has different regs on when you can take does. In my area of my county I can only shoot up to 2 does during archery season unless I am MLD. For me to get MLD doe permits I have to be a member of the local WMA Coop and they set my doe harvest numbers based off of survey data in my area of the county. So I can then use the MLD permits in the season(archery, general or late ML) that I am in at that time. If my neighbor is not MLD/WMA Coop member then they can only shoot does during archery season. In this same county the regs on taking does varies greatly.
Posted By: Hunt n Fish
Re: The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 02:27 PM
If I see a doe with spotted fawns...NOPE. If I see a doe with older fawns, I watch the fawns. If they are grazing (eating grasses, wheat oats etc or eating corn under the feeder) then mom is fair game for me! 
Posted By: JB1316
Re: The "Shoot Spikes?" thread was fun. So, do you shoot does with fawns? - 10/30/16 06:13 PM
I have a doe with two fawn on my feeder very regularly. I've not seen any bucks on this one though. My plan is to give her a pass opening week and hope she pulls in a buck for me. If not, next time
I'm out end of November/ first of December, I'm gonna go ahead and take her if she's around. I'll be out just about out of venison by then.
I'm out end of November/ first of December, I'm gonna go ahead and take her if she's around. I'll be out just about out of venison by then.