So far in two sits we have seen 4 different doe. 3 of them with fawns, and two of the three had twins. This is in Val Verde co. So it's nice and green for now but this place will soon turn dry, and won't be able to support the new life. In the three years that we have been here I have never seen a fawn, other then pictures. At that only one or two a year. Now I count 5. The fawns are 3 to 4 months old. Now at what point would it be okay to take out some mama doe? January? Next year?

We are still watching a doe teach her fawn how to browse. As the fawn goes to suckle the mama will kick it off then goes to a bush and starts to browse. it seem that the is teaching it.

I like to wait till they are at least 5 months old. For me that is after Thanksgiving. The sooner you can take off deer the better the rest of the deer herd will do.

If you need to control numbers, the biologist will tell you to go ahead and take the doe first chance you get. Most people on here will tell you to shoot them too. Personally I try to take dry does first and hold off taking nursing/mother does until later on (even into January if possible). My order is something like dry, 1 large fawn, 2 large fawns, 1 smaller fawn, 2 smaller fawns. We raise livestock too and I can tell you that there is no substitution for allowing that animal to get the best start in life possible. I saw a doe nurse her twins two weeks ago so you can't tell me that they've all been weaned. I do realize that if the doe has already bred then you are sort of wasting your bucks' efforts, but I'm not sure there's a good solution.

Okay, thanks for the response. Our rut in usually at the end of December. Gestation is what, 7 months? That puts birth at the end of july. So five months will be at the beginning of January. Correct?

I still have a spotted fawn. Latest I've ever seen.

I wouldn't worry too much about needing to cull does in val verde co. Ma nature will "fix" deer populations there soon enuff. Personally I would celebrate a good fawn crop. Especially since it's the first in several years.

Quitshooing. The one dry doe is on the list for sure.