smha6784 Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 My season started yesterday and my first chance for the deer woods is This weekend. But..... I checked all my trail cams last weekend and I noticed that all the does were alone, no yearlings around. Does this mean they could have possibly just dropped their fawns? According to the breeding map put out by state biologists their breeding season was Jan16-27 with a 200 day gestation period I figure they should have dropped in August. My question is, is it a bad idea to take a doe this early giving our late breeding season. Can the yearlings survive ? Or am I just overthinking the situation ?? I also noticed that the young bucks on cameras were alone and not with a bachelor group. What do you think that is about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNhunterr Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 It should be perfectly fine to take a doe this time of year. As far as the buck bachelor groups go - They are far past that stage in the year. Most bucks have separated by now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 i see fawns within weeks of being dropped on game cam pics. I think you are overthinking it. my thoughts are if the fawn doesn't have spots then it is old enough to live on its own. I'd shoot away!! todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WStreblo Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 need help from you guys I would tell you to watch a doe closely and see by her body language if she has a fawn or if she's just a dry doe. If it's dry it will die in my woods. In my experience and this is after hunting the north and the south but I've noticed the younger bucks split off the bachelor groups earlier but them big bucks know when to get serious and to save their energy more than the young bucks.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smha6784 Posted October 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 need help from you guys Our rut isn't until late January and we see fawns with spots all the way until mid November. And bachelor groups here usually run together till late November early December. I just thought it was odd compared to previous years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottbird Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 I think this falls under personal belief, I can tell you what I would do, but that may not be right for you. if you feel comfortable taking the shot, go ahead, if not don't. we all have our own set of ethics, don't chance yours for what I would do. just hunt hard and have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrown Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 I would just contact your state biologist. As far as bachelor groups go, I had four bucks come in, two of them where NICE. It obviously depends where your located. Alot of times doe will bed their fawns down, and leave them, then come back to them later. So it is a good possabliity they still have em, or their either just barren does. Again your local biogist would have a good idea. All the does here have their fawns with them. Usually your 1.5 old bucks are alone, because they've just been booted by their mother out of the doe hurd. It was thought for a long time that inbreeding would accure with a large doe hurd, but found out that the does usually run the bucks off after a certain age. Kind of cool how nature takes care of itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Not sure exactly where you're hunting. If it's not MS it sure sounds like the SE zone in MS. Mean breeding dates in MS are all over the map from early Dec. through the 1st week of Feb. Chances are with your average breeding date falling in mid to late Jan., your wet does will have have spotted fawns for the first 20 or so days of the season. Yea, I know you said you see spotted fawns into mid Nov. but the state's breeding dates are averages...not set in stone. Does can come into estrus a couple of weeks later and there's a 2nd estrus period about a month later for does not bred during the 1st estrus cycle. According to a study done by the MSDWFP as a general rule, the older the fawn, the better their survival. Fawns under 90 days old have a far less chance of survival than those over 90 days. As for the young bucks breaking up on your last cam run...I'd check your cams a few more times and put some hours in a stand before you come to that conclusion. I've hunted a lot of years in MS and most bucks stay in bachelor groups for the 1st few weeks, especially the younger ones. The area I hunted had a mean breeding date around Jan. 1st. Deer were in a late summer feeding pattern through mid to late Oct. there. Didn't see much in the way of scraping activity until late Oct. with a few exceptions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Agree with Abrown. You may have predation problems or some other problem. Your state wildlife people would know more about specifics of your area. Typically see twins with does still here this time of year and not uncommon for them to still be in spots. Noticing a very low number of fawns here this year. I know yotes are partly to blame, but think we probably also lost some to ehd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbHunterNY Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 different time table up here. i'd look for this years fawns. also if the bucks have broken up it's probably about that time the does will start to ween off their fawns. later born fawns where does got bred in a second or third cycle are the exception. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smha6784 Posted October 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Not sure exactly where you're hunting. If it's not MS it sure sounds like the SE zone in MS. Mean breeding dates in MS are all over the map from early Dec. through the 1st week of Feb. Chances are with your average breeding date falling in mid to late Jan., your wet does will have have spotted fawns for the first 20 or so days of the season. Yea, I know you said you see spotted fawns into mid Nov. but the state's breeding dates are averages...not set in stone. Does can come into estrus a couple of weeks later and there's a 2nd estrus period about a month later for does not bred during the 1st estrus cycle. According to a study done by the MSDWFP as a general rule, the older the fawn, the better their survival. Fawns under 90 days old have a far less chance of survival than those over 90 days. As for the young bucks breaking up on your last cam run...I'd check your cams a few more times and put some hours in a stand before you come to that conclusion. I've hunted a lot of years in MS and most bucks stay in bachelor groups for the 1st few weeks, especially the younger ones. The area I hunted had a mean breeding date around Jan. 1st. Deer were in a late summer feeding pattern through mid to late Oct. there. Didn't see much in the way of scraping activity until late Oct. with a few exceptions. Yep SE zone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoosierhunter Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 need help from you guys I would not shoot a doe right now that was bred in Jan. My opinion is that survival would be minimal for the fawn. I'm not sure they are really weened well at that point. I let my fawns drop their spots before I usually shoot momma. These dies are bred in Nov for the most part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smha6784 Posted October 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 need help from you guys Called state biologist for my area, he says shoot away. He claims they took later breeding into account when season dates were set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WStreblo Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 need help from you guys If it's brown it's down... Even a city boy wearing carhartts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 I'm in east central MS and seeing above average spotted fawns right now I'd say in the stand and on cam. I'm not shooting a doe with a fawn, not that I don't think it will survive, but because I've got all season to take does with a bow, no need for making a fawn's life harder than it already is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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