In everyone’s opinion when is the best time of season to shoot does? Early or late and why?

Around here, I am reminded every year to take a doe early. Waiting increases the likelihood they’ll go nocturnal.

When I'm bored after I've got my buck.

Any time the freezer is empty.

Opening weekend, remove them from the food source so the other deer have it to eat later in the year.

I never give it any thought. Plenty of them here all the time.

When they are in front of you.

Early, so they aren’t bred yet. Later to take mouths from the food source.

Early as possible. Always hated opening one up late in the season and finding a fawn still in the oven! ! !

This is my answer. I shoot them all season

Early before the rut starts.

I like to shoot them when they are alone or few other deer around. Past that don’t care what time of season.

Yeah, I can’t imagine it makes any real difference.

I don’t shoot the ones that have fawns with them. I pick out the old menopausal ones that are also typically the mean ones that slap the others around. I like to pop them right after they slapped another one.

My last 6 MLD tags will hopefully be filled today by guests.

All season.

My brother has guests out at the ranch this week trying to use up the rest of our MLD tags(33).

Two weeks ago not a single doe was seen at the feeders...they were all bucks.

Like said; little bit of a creep out if you wait late and a baby comes rolling it; especially with a first time young hunter see that.

I like to get the does early in the season for the same reasons mentioned above by others. I also find that once I have meat in the freezer, I become more patient and choosy on taking a buck

What he said.

In a perfect world, I like to shoot them early in the season for the simple fact that I want to disturb the area as little as possible closer to the rut. I don't want to trounce through the area on Nov 12th trailing a shot doe and possibly bump a big boy into the next county.

Having said that, I am rarely able to hunt all throughout the season, so I usually take does at the best opportunity based on what's going on and what I'm seeing. Of course, if there's an old matriarch biddie that does nothing but blow and harass the other deer, she's gonna get perforated at the first opportunity.

I would say when I can but prefer earlier. Where I hunt the acreage is small and the population is pretty stable, I see the same 2-3 on camera all year and then their fawns. Bucks are generally the same 6-7 with some new ones scattered in during the rut and January.

In the county I hunt it’s usually just the first 3 or 4 weeks of the season that is allowed.

if there are too many, my buddy lets me, or our friends cull them.

prefer early

Best answer and often the least practiced.