Why Kill doe after the rut?

[Mudshack]

I believe that our ratio is out of wack, therefoe taking does out early (pre-rut) would:

1) Creat better competition between the few bucks
b) I know for sure I am not shooting a doe with a potential little buck
*) It calms my nerves and allows me to be more selective later in the season.

Oh, and coming from Pennsylvania where rifle season is 2 weeks long after Thanksgiving, you are hunting POST-rut. Almost every doe seen has been bred. And on public land where numbers are down to 1-3 deer per square mile. Why chance killing 2 deer when shooting a doe. In places like that there should be a doe season in late September, then regular buck season after Thanksgiving.

[cosmiccowboy]

When I was running leases I always had a problem getting my hunters to shoot does early or even shoot them at all. There were years I would assassinate 30+ with the 22-250.

Shooting does early is a mixed blessing. The does get wild fast. The best way I found to do it was not to kill does at the feeders but to corn roads and shoot them on sight during mid-day.

Where I guide we have to kill a LOT of does to keep our numbers in line and the guides normally do it after we are done with buck hunters. When we start whacking does at the feeders they get wise in a HURRY. We can forget about using permanent stands...we probably kill the last 50 or so from brush blinds and portable tripods.

If we whacked does like that before the rut we could forget about putting our hunters on the numbers of bucks we do because the does would be in hiding and the bucks would be with them.

[Seemore]

To Eat Them!!

[buck_wild]

I agree with MC. That's always been my theory. I also agree with Cosmic and have seen teh sam ething. It's harder to kill a mature doe on teh Eagle PAss ranch where I guide in December than a 160. The does get real scarce fast.
But to answer your question, I TRUELY BELIEVE THIS WAS DONE IN TEXAS BECAUSE THE BIG MONEY RANCHES WANTED MORE HUNTING.

[DH2000]

Doe's

I'm with MudShack. It really calms me to get some slickheads early in the season. In my opinion taking a doe is taking a doe no matter what time of year. At our place it's not easy late in the season due to all the pressure from neighbors. They get really jumpy.

[WIKI]

Dale that philosiphy there that makes perfect since to me.

[BrianL]

You are reducing the number of mouths that your property can support. Food sources are at their least late winter to the first budding in spring. It is better to shoot them early, but better late than never.

[Dale Moser]

Me, I'm spikin the first two that show up.....cuz a man's got to eat!

[furhunter]

well said Travis, we usually fill our doe tags opening weekend and then hunt for either culls or trophys depending on whose year it is!! What I mean is, our county is a 1 buck county and we alternate between us every other year who gets to kill what, either a cull or trophy buck, if you don't get a trophy in your year then you have to wait until it's your turn again!! It's really helped let "bigger" ones get bigger and the "lesser" guys get shot !! I've never understood why you would want to take a chance on a doe that might have been bred by one of your better bucks!!

[Bowwiz]

Wildman-are you drinkin Dr.Peppers and eatin fruit loops again--Thats funny!
Great replies too Mike's question yall!

[Chad_E]

I'm with MC and CC, but....

The big difference for me is that in Colorado County and surrounding areas, the rut is extremely early. Usually fires up around the second week of October and ends shortly after opening weekend of rifle season (varies a little every year). So the theory doesn't work as well in our area.

[Mudshack]

... in Colorado County and surrounding areas, the rut is extremely early. Usually fires up around the second week of October and ends shortly after opening weekend of rifle season (varies a little every year). So the theory doesn't work as well in our area.

It does??

I am hunting Colorado County for the first time this year. Haven't got the feeder running (feeding too many cows) but I do have the stand hung. So you rattle in October?

[Mike Murphey]

Ideally if you are taking does in the extended season you are probalby over populated with does so taking them at that time makes no difference except you are bringing the doe numbers down by twice as many, (include the fawn in the doe). If your doe numbers are not high then taking them out later may be hurting your overall herd, but your game numbers, (total number of deer per acre and buck to doe ratio) need to be checked to be sure what you are really needing...

[qzilla]

We do it to measure fetus lenght to detrimine when the rut was. This info is then used to model when the rut occurs in our area over time and to see how the health of the herd is.

Also it gives last year's fawns a better chance at survial. Research has shown fawns orphaned before December 1st have less chance of making it then fawns orphaned after December 1st. hope this helps

I quoted this since you are in the same area as we are in.

We like to shoot does before the rut starts. There is no reason stressing a buck out over a doe that is going to be harvested.

Now, where we are at our rut happens considerably later than most of the state. Our rut is typically from Dec10th-Jan10th or thereabouts. We start shooting does on Dec 1st. I know that is pushing it but, it is only done to increase fawn survival of the previous year. Once they hit the ground we want to keep them alive.

Now, we typically do not get them all killed before the rut starts and inevitably some deer rut early. WE just have too many does to shoot to get it all done in a few days.

As stated we also shoot 10-20 does late in Feb strictly for research. Sure it is a gamble but we get great information from it that helps the large scope of things. We learn what our breeding success has been which tells us if our real buck:doe ratio is in line. It tells us when they were bred which tells us how long the rut has lasted which again in turn tells us the status of the herd. We also typically measure kidney fat and do a liver sample which gauges the health of the deer right after the harshest of conditions have been survived. This gives us an idea on proper deer density as well as our supplemental feed program.


So depending on what you do I highly recommend removing does before the rut. There are circumstances which I stated above in which that is just not possible. It is not going to ruin a deer herd. The odds of you finding that special doe that was bred to a 190" buck and that particular doe having the same sort of genetics is about the same as the odds of you finding that 190" buck on his own!

[SaltwaterSlick]

Late season doe/spike is a management tool. If you are overpopulated or out of whack buck/doe ratio, then use the season to bring both in line. If not, then you should not use the season at all. But it makes no difference when the doe is taken, excuse me, killed, the net population result is the same. That is, if you assume that all breedable does are bred in a given year. If you take the doe out in October, the same net result will be achieved if you shot her in January. The one possible difference is that most breedable does in fawn rearing age will have a fawn in the early spring and to take it out then would severely decrease the survival possibility of the fawn.