Spare the does?

[Hogmauler]

I saw two bucks on my camera since January. Last year during the rut I rattled in 10 bucks. Four of which I’ve never seen.
So my wildlife exemption plan involves shooting a couple does and no bucks under five years old. well I got to thinking.
Won’t does be the best buck attractants ever? I heard one guy talking about shooting only does that jump the fence from neighboring properties. Our property is small and has larger properties on three sides.
How does the guy know that those doe’s wernt born and raised on his own property and we’re coming back home. Would y’all go ahead and drop a couple of does and let the chips fall where they may?
Thanks in advance.

[Drycreek3189]

I don’t know how small you are talking about, but I would look at fawn recruitment to guide me on doe harvest. I have 80 acres here at home, and we hardly kill any does. I can only remember three or four in 27 years, and probably ten bucks. We have coyotes out the wazoo, and very few fawns make it. For years we’ve had a guy across the highway who had a 100 acre “coyote pen”, a 6’ fence surrounded his place and they ran coyotes with dogs all the time. We all know that a fence without a skirt won’t keep coyotes out…..or in. That’s where lots of our yotes came from. Point is, if you’re not getting pics of several fawns at this time of year, then I wouldn’t shoot any does.

[Hogmauler]

Gotcha. I have one doe with a fawn, you can barely see its spots now, but I maybe saw two or three earlier in the year. Last week I saw the above doe with fawn at feeder and seven other does three on the south side across the fence and one jumped the north fence and headed to the feeder. I know we have coyotes but rarely see them.

[Big pig]

I agree with dry creek
if you have few or no fawns. Why worry about harvesting does?
I am in the exact boat. Lots of bucks, few resident doe and very aggressive coyotes even here in the yard. We lost 4 of 5 fawns born around the house.

[Hogmauler]

Dang Pig! Where are the bucks then? Most others on here have all kinds bucks on camera

[Sika]

Survey to determine population should be a requirement of your wildlife plan. If your goal is to increase the deer herd, harvest few does ,if any. If your goal is to decrease the herd, harvest more.




If you can estimate how many does are utilizing your property you can then determine the percentage of does to remove. With average fawn recruitment , a good rule of thumb is 20% - 25% of does to stabilize a population. For example, if you estimate there are 5 does using the property and you want to stabilize the herd, shoot 1.

If you want to grow the herd shoot none…or shoot a doe fawn. Yearling does are less likely to successfully raise fawns of their own anyway. We try to take both mature does and doe fawns.

[Tony Pic]

Sika gives great advice. For me..Does are off limits after the rut. The baby makers are impregnated.

[Texas452]

No does for us , our population in Leon county has steadily gone down, with a fawn crop of about 10%.. the population can’t keep up with the neighbors doe shooting.

[LivinADream]

I'll play devils advocate here, in a couple of scenarios. One of which is only grounded in a healthy herd vs seeing more deer or attracting bucks. The other is just a thought in the opposite direction that may be 100% wrong.

1. I spend 90% of my time in a vehicle listening to habitat management podcasts from several different sources. Most of the podcasters(?) Do land evaluations, and 100% of them agree that ALMOST every single property they visit needs to kill does. It seems to me like a general consensus is about 1 per 50 to 100 acres. The reasoning behind this is available food per deer.

2. My thoughts, considering the above to be correct, is possibly fawn recruitment is suffering because the available food doesn't support the mothers need to make milk, therefore she either leaves the fawn stranded for her own survival, or the fawns are just malnourished to the point they can't survive the harsh conditions that our hot dry summers bring. If the mothers go into the birthing season very healthy due to less competition for food, they will raise stronger healthier fawns.

[Bowanta]

I'll play devils advocate here, in a couple of scenarios. One of which is only grounded in a healthy herd vs seeing more deer or attracting bucks. The other is just a thought in the opposite direction that may be 100% wrong.

1. I spend 90% of my time in a vehicle listening to habitat management podcasts from several different sources. Most of the podcasters(?) Do land evaluations, and 100% of them agree that ALMOST every single property they visit needs to kill does. It seems to me like a general consensus is about 1 per 50 to 100 acres. The reasoning behind this is available food per deer.

2. My thoughts, considering the above to be correct, is possibly fawn recruitment is suffering because the available food doesn't support the mothers need to make milk, therefore she either leaves the fawn stranded for her own survival, or the fawns are just malnourished to the point they can't survive the harsh conditions that our hot dry summers bring. If the mothers go into the birthing season very healthy due to less competition for food, they will raise stronger healthier fawns.

I agree with this 100%. Shoot the does early has always been my thought.

[S-3 Ranch]

No does for us , our population in Leon county has steadily gone down, with a fawn crop of about 10%.. the population can’t keep up with the neighbors doe shooting.

Same , our neighbors are brown it’s down , add the extensive drought, even with YR feeding, we definitely have less deer last couple years

[Hogmauler]

Thank y’all so much this isn’t a property that’s large enough to manage. I fed YR and tried to keep water out there as well. So maybe 1 doe and like Pic said none after the rut.
But where are the bucks? I have two 55 acre properties on one side of me, both of which have alternate deer leases in Bretons. The other side of me is 167 acre parcel and in back of men is a low fenced ranch of several hundred acres. I hunted a lot last year and never heard a shot nearby me.

[Cstat_Mex]

You will need more information to make a decision from a true management perspective.

1. Live does are the best attractant for bucks during the rut, yes.
2. The guy shooting does because they jump a fence is a bubba shooter and has no idea where the does home range is, nor will it make a difference on a small low fence place.

Both of those items should be irrelevant to your management plan. If your goal is to manage your property for herd health and quality you need to start with a survey to accurately determine buck to doe ratio and deer density. You then need to determine your desired buck to doe ratio and your properties carrying capacity. Harvesting decisions need to be made off of those two data points. You can then move into habitat improvements on the property to attract more deer and support carrying capacity. A well managed herd with a well managed habitat will do wonders for the hunting on your property. If you can get your neighbors to buy into the program as well you will see greater returns, the more acreage managed the better.

If your goal is only to pack the freezer, spend time in the woods, and you feel that you have a stable enough population then I would not worry much about shooting a few does

[txbowman12]

Does attract bucks during a very specific period of time. In my opinion you have to choose between managing for big bucks and having more doe. Mature bucks don't like social pressure.

Without knowing more about your property and it's features its hard to say. If you are just feeding in a feeder, put out some hand corn and stick a camera over it in a area you don't frequent.

[Greenheadless]

Survey to determine population should be a requirement of your wildlife plan. If your goal is to increase the deer herd, harvest few does ,if any. If your goal is to decrease the herd, harvest more.




If you can estimate how many does are utilizing your property you can then determine the percentage of does to remove. With average fawn recruitment , a good rule of thumb is 20% - 25% of does to stabilize a population. For example, if you estimate there are 5 does using the property and you want to stabilize the herd, shoot 1.

If you want to grow the herd shoot none…or shoot a doe fawn. Yearling does are less likely to successfully raise fawns of their own anyway. We try to take both mature does and doe fawns.

This right here.

Everything else is just an assumption.

Sounds like with your property and the neighbors, you have a foundation to start a Wildlife Management Association.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/associations/