Picking Does

So, this year the folks on my lease have decided we need to make more of an effort to cull out does as we havent taken more than 3 in the last 2 years. What i am curious about is what criteria yall use to decide which doe gets shot? If you prefer to take out the older does, what are signs of an older doe? I usually try to make sure the doe doesnt have a fawn on it still at this point though they are beginning to kick them off.

Pick the biggest one out of the group that doesn’t have fawns. And pray you don’t shoot one that puts off twins every year.

Agree with KRM based on my reading only about 50 to 60% of does get pregnant or are good mothers. Don't shoot a doe with fawns as she is a good mom and a breeder.

When we do shoot does we shoot single does and or yearlings. A yearling could be a buck but as a doe it is an unknown breeder.

My 2 cents

As others stated, I usually target those without fawns, though not always. I make it a point to avoid the oldest doe; the reason is that they're usually the lead doe in a group, and their experience and wisdom goes a long way towards keeping the group alive (plus, younger ones just taste better in my experience). Instead, I'll target a younger doe in the group who doesn't have fawns. If you have the opportunity to observe the group, you can pick out who the 2nd in command is (she'll act like she's in charge on occasion, but you'll see the lead doe put her in her place when needed) -- that's the one I usually go after in a group.

Kind of like DeCurry, if there’s a group of does, I’ll avoid taking one with fawns. But I will, on occasion, take the lead doe. I need two big ones for the freezer. The oldest grandson will be here tomorrow, and he’s skinny but can eat his body weight in fried venison, so he’ll deplete the remaining stock.

We wait until December to shoot our does...fawns are generally grown up enough by then and not so dependent on their mother. At it's usually "shoot the first doe you see, then the one standing next to her, and the one standing next to her..." until you are out of tags or out of targets!

When shooting does, I pick the first one that gives me a shot opportunity. However, if she has a fawn in tow, she'll get a pass. This one got a pass last night...

Which one? The doe that is in front of you. Some make excuses not to shoot does and it can be exhausting.

If you have a choice and have too many does, choose younger ones and you will take more years of production out of the herd. The older ones are likely to die sooner than the younger ones anyway.

Dry does 1st, then single fawn mothers, then twin fawn mothers. We have lots of deer, though, I'm not in a hurry to orphan anybody on opening day. It also depends on the size of the fawn. If the fawns are really large or it's late in the year, I'll pick the biggest doe in the group.

I also put down the ones that just stare at the blind and blow.

To me if you are killing does for numbers a doe that is standing there is a good one to shoot.

This had me literally LOL at my desk, people at the office looked at me strangely.

Whack um and Stack um...When you are reducing numbers and getting the ratio in balance there is no right or wrong way. Just watch for nubbins. IMO

Shoot yearling does early so that more browse is left for deer that will remain after the season closes. An old doe without a fawn is also a good choice IMO.

However, be patient if you prefer not to shoot a doe with a fawn. I made a quick shot at a doe decades ago only find it had a fawn still in spots afterwards. The poor little thing was still hanging around the next day.

I always first target that one crazy paranoid doe (they usually have a droopy ear as part of their insanity) that always wants to be the first to blow and/or bust me.

Lol

Honestly I try to focus first on the cull bucks as early in the season as possible before they have a chance to breed.

Then I go for the doe.... When it comes down to actually balancing the herd, its generally considered "a doe is a doe" and it doesn't matter if its a yearling or old doe.

Personally.... I intentionally target "Flaggers" - so I just wait for one to start stomping their feet and huffing at me and I generally consider that as a volunteer to fill the freezer.

you can look at their bodies and try to age them in a similar pattern to bucks i.e. belly, sway back, brisket, etc. Good luck

I had an old doe with a fawn come out on some road corn years ago very close to the blind. She gave me the eye a bunch but I was passing hoping for a buck. They ate corn for over 30 minutes with her glaring at me every now and then, and me doing nothing about it. They eventually stroll off into the brush and that old hussy makes a 200 yard semi-circle to get behind me and in the wind. She went to blowing but made the mistake of not running off. After 10 minutes I'd had enough. She was good eating and pulling the trigger was very satisfying.

Listening to Dr. Kroll, older does that produce tend to throw females or the bucks they have are not what you want running around.

I try to take all does before the rut to prevent shooting bred does. I try to shoot the paranoid ones first then the does without fawns.

I always pass on does with fawns as well. I did read that is better to take the younger ones as they are not as good of mother and survival rates of there fawns is lower. They will also tend to bread with less mature bucks.

^^this^^ - Several years ago, hunting on a place in eastern Oklahoma, I had a group of does/fawns come in, and I waited for a bit to see which did not have fawns. I finally decided on one and shot, only to have TWO fawns come over and bleet around her until I came out of the blind and they trotted off. Even then, they only ran to the edge of some woods, stopped, and stared at me. I am pretty thick skinned, but this one kind of bugs me to this day.

Always shoot the weary doe that's blowing. Don't need then ruining every sit in that blind

We call that one a volunteer

If no volunteer... Shoot one that appears no not have a fawn with her, next is biggest

Down south I wait till fawns are at least 5 months old or after Thanksgiving. Most years I wait till after the first of Jan to take any does I need to take. If I am thinning numbers to tighten the ratio and slow reproduction I am targeting the older twinning machines out first. Fighting a numbers battle is easier with less fawns on the ground. The does without fawns will generally be the 1.5 yr or 2.5 yr old does, which should be better genetics than the older does. Does with one single fawn or no fawns will generally be in better shape than does with twins. They will have a head start on next year once they are bred. I really do not worry to much about killing any does bred to the bigger bucks since a mature buck breeds very few does per year. If you like the way your bucks look top to bottom in each age class then all the does will be bred to good bucks. I like a 45% fawn crop every year, which means that if I am seeing a lot of does without fawns that I have a lot of 1.5 yr old does that year. As long as a doe has raised one offspring I am fine with taking her out of the herd. The younger the herd the better off you are in the long run.
For those worried about shooting a doe with fawns, I would suggest if you can sex the fawns then shoot the doe fawn(s) also. It is a number, it is a mouth and it is a doe. I read an article one time that stated that if you shot a doe and she had a buck fawn, the orphaned buck fawn would generally stay in that area for longer than if the doe was alive.

We typically keep the pasture quiet early season to keep bucks hanging around and shoot does late. By the end of the season fawns are ok on their own and we just shoot whatever makes itself available. I love to shoot a does when its the only deer there. Bad for judging size etc. but good for not educating any more of their buddies.

While it may be true an old doe is quicker to catch onto you, she's also more likely to detect natural predators that would otherwise have an easier time taking down fawns and less experienced deer.

Well, I go against the grain, I try to shoot the mature does in order to get/keep the buck/doe ratio as low as possible. a yearling doe will have a singe fawn and about 73% of the time it will be a buck.

I have just recently, last 2 years, started taking doe. I only take ones that do not seem to have a fawn.