HI all, have friends that go hunting for deer and all they will shoot is a buck. It seems alot of people are this way. I get a kick out of shooting a small doe and I have been hunting for 20 years. They would rather walk away from the hunting season with nothing than shoot a doe. Thats not hunting to me, seems like they are just out for bragging rights. All the TV shows press shooting big bucks and never a doe, we are eating the deer right? I know shooting a big buck is a large thrill but so should be a doe. Whats the deal?

 

I agree that it's more of a bragging rights thing. Also, alot of times states will implement a bucks only rule to get the population back up. One buck can father many deer, but a doe can only have one or two. If you harvest a buck, another will take its place and the does that he had. A doe, once harvested is harder to replace. Bowhunting in the Northeast lets you harvest either sex usually. Rifle season is usually buck only unless you get a special permit.

 

Most well versed hunters will take a doe for the freezer,and wait on a trophy,but a trophy can be a small buck,if its yiur first or some youngster is just getting into hunting.It all goes back to the natural hunter.

 

Up here in Northern Ontario Canada you can shoot a Buck any time during the season but its very hard to draw a Doe tag to shoot one those.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: pwillie

Most well versed hunters will take a doe for the freezer,and wait on a trophy,</end quote></div>

That's what I do. I shot 3 does less than hour after shooting time started opening morning (they were all walking together and taken within 20 seconds of each other) and then spent the rest of the season hunting a certain big buck I was looking for. Didn't get him but I have three does in the freezer and I'll have two more come doe season.

It's your obligation as a hunter to take a doe or two to keep the population balanced. As I understand it in some states you must take at least one doe before you're allowed to take a buck.

 

When i started hunting, about 18 years ago, all you could shoot were bucks in missouri. You were lucky to draw a doe tag. Times have changed and now when bow hunting you get 2 deer tags(an any deer tag and an antlerless tag only) along with 2 turkey tags. The population of deer is growing and now you can buy as many doe tags for bow as long as you pay $7.00 each. As far as buck hunting only, thats rediculous. Deer season (with a rifle) is once a year for 10 days. The way i see it the does must go. Dont get me wrong, id love to get a trophy buck, but if i dont know if there is one in the area then im not gonna hunt for him foor too long. This year i dropped a doe first morning, but we had seen an eleven point the night before the season started near my stand. so the rest of the week i tried for him. With 2 days left i decided it was time to take a doe sisnce i had not seen any big bucks. Id rather go home with a doe than eat a tag sandwich, the doe taste better. Also, we try to manage where we hunt. So if you see a doe and a small buck (one that you would not mount, 4,6 points) we shoot the doe and let the buck go and hopefully make it to be bigger and maybe see him in the later years. Honestly, who wants to brag about a 4 point. if its your first deer ever then i understand.

 

+1 on letting them grow to trophy size. Does taste just as good as bucks. Unless you plan on eating the antlers it doesn't matter what kind of deer you get.

 

Here in Mississippi the Deer population has become a problem. You cant drive a mile without seeing one that somebody blasted with their car. Also they are destroying crops. I may be wrong, but I think the last numbers I saw, Wildlife and fisheries estimated the deer population at approx 5 million. Therefore, alot of people here in our area, which is mostly agricultural, hunt with the if its brown its down mentality. Between the three of us that hunt together, last year we took a total of 27 deer, without really trying. Alot of times once our freezers get full, if one of us drops one, we will take to someone who really needs it. Besides, I dont care how lony you boil a set of horns, they just dont get tender.

 

hey devil, speaking of the deer destrying the crops, which is just about every where in the U.S. I just watched on kieth warren outdoors t.v. show that a study showed that $940,000,000.00 worth of crops in the u.s. is destroyed by wildlife per year. about $720,000,000.00 because of deer. The other by rabbit ,birds,squirrels,ect... Thats alot of income lost to our farmers. where i hunt, the farmer is allowed to hunt deer all year long because of deer populatons eating his crops. hes the only one that can hunt them though.

 

Here in MI I think farmers can shoot darn near anything that's damaging their crops or livestock. Deer, coyotes, crows, whatever. I could be wrong though. I don't don't pay attention to farmers rules since I don't farm.