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Which doe to shoot?

wcw280

wcw280

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2023
Messages
186
Location
Knoxville
All the management people on here let's hear it and your reasons why. Young does, 2 yo does or the nanny does for management purposes. I can make a case for any of them honestly, but have my opinion. I'll listen toy
Y'all first. This should be interesting.
 
If you're hunting East Tennessee the true answer would be none of the above on 98% of properties from my experience. If you have one of those magic places surrounded by unhuntable or not hunted land that's a different story. Most properties 1-2 won't hurt but overall the population still needs to grow IMO.
 
Bone_Chaser said:
If you're hunting East Tennessee the true answer would be none of the above on 98% of properties from my experience. If you have one of those magic places surrounded by unhuntable or not hunted land that's a different story. Most properties 1-2 won't hurt but overall the population still needs to grow IMO.
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I didn't shoot does for a long time on my property but one year I took a couple because the guy that adjoins my property lets me hunt to kill the deer so I try to get him a deer every year . With that said he don't care if it's doe or buck he makes sausage out of alot of the meat. We don't eat much anymore so I give him most of it . I usually quarter it for him . I gave him two bucks last year ....not seeing much so I may have to shoot a doe if I see one close enough .
 
I read an article once that said the old does 3+ have lower contraception rates at times but a higher fawn survival. They have already been there and done that. The 2yo's have a higher contraceptive rate but slightly lower fawn survival rate. The yearlings that get bred late season are pretty much a coin flip on both. Seems like all those could be valid. Just wondering if anyone had any real world experience or knew of studies on that. Seems interesting. If you just shoot a couple a season doesn't seem like it would matter much at all if any, but for the people that manage and shoot a bunch. Seems like something you would consider.
 
I think sometimes we can fall into a trap of trying to control the uncontrollable and take the fun right out of hunting.

While we are weighing the merits of different ages of does you also have to put it through the lens of yearling dispersal- the bucks using your property were almost certainly born to a doe a mile or more away. Females are homebodies. Unless you have a very large property, your doe harvest won't greatly influence the number of bucks but may influence the numbers of does. Some will advocate for shooting does with buck fawns to orphan them and prevent this dispersal but I'm not sold on attempting to prevent natural processes.
 
If there are a few to choose from then the biggest doe if I'm wanting meat, if there are a few to choose from and I'm wanting a couple of does, then the biggest because usually (it seems to me) the others look to her in what to do after the shot and I can usually get another while they stand there.

If it's a lone doe, no problem deciding, just take her.
 
MickThompson said:
I think sometimes we can fall into a trap of trying to control the uncontrollable and take the fun right out of hunting.
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That is an excellent comment Mick.

I can give the pros and cons of taking of each age-class of doe. However, I think it would be a mistake to focus harvest pressure on just one group. I have seen problems arise when a big hole is placed in the buck AND doe age structure. Just as it is a real negative to wipe out the oldest age-classes of bucks, the same is true of doe age structure.

Honestly, I would recommend taking the easiest shot, and try to take a random sample of all ages of does. In essence, spread the harvest up and down the age spectrum.
 
BSK said:
I would recommend taking the easiest shot, and try to take a random sample of all ages of does. In essence, spread the harvest up and down the age spectrum.
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I've heard and read numerous theories on doe harvest over the years but I've never heard it explained this way. Makes perfect sense to me. Random samples across the age spectrum.
 

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