texastrophies Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 We have finally got to the point on our lease that we need to take out some does. In your opinion, would it be better to take a doe without a yearling, a doe with one, or a doe that has twins? Second question, when should they go, before or after the rut? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Re: Taking Does One piece of property I'm fortunate enough to hunt is shoot every doe you see, fawn on up. In the 3 years I've been hunting there I have seen more bucks, bigger bucks and no shortage of does. I read once where a doe with one fawn is either a fawn from the year before, or an older doe that's not as healthy as it could be, and does with more than one fawn is an older doe in good health. If you shoot does after the rut, there's a good chance you're actually killing 2 to 4 deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Re: Taking Does Good point Tominator. Over the lifetime of a doe, she most likely will produce 8 deer, hopefully half will be bucks. Taking does after the rut might be killing the next monter buck(s). If you do not want to kill mature ones after the rut, concentrate on fawns. They won't be bred yet being immature. Good Luck and Hunt safe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Re: Taking Does [ QUOTE ] would it be better to take a doe without a yearling, a doe with one, or a doe that has twins? [/ QUOTE ] all of the above. [ QUOTE ] Second question, when should they go, before or after the rut? [/ QUOTE ] As far as thinning does anytime. From a "better for the herd" then early season is the best. This reduces the stress on the bucks as there are less does to breed and fight over. For Northern hunters when the does are taken early then there is more available forage for the herd when the bad weather hits and forage starts to decrease. todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom2008 Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Re: Taking Does Thats a great question I just learned something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ousoonerfan22 Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Re: Taking Does There is a doe on my uncle's property that had twin button bucks this year and she's really smart,she busted me twice this year. I told my son not shoot her but if she came by without the button bucks he wouldn't know it was her,hopefully the neighbors didn't kill her or the button bucks.Since we were only seeing four mature doe's crossing the property this year I don't think we should take one anyway,there's enough getting harvested around this mile section already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Re: Taking Does actually shooting the doe with the two button bucks would be a good thing. There is a better chance the bucks will hang around with their mom out of the picture. most does run off their buck offspring and they go find new home ranges. fawn bucks who's mother was shot during the season will more than likely stay on their mom's old home range! todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HitRmisS Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Re: Taking Does [ QUOTE ] actually shooting the doe with the two button bucks would be a good thing. There is a better chance the bucks will hang around with their mom out of the picture. most does run off their buck offspring and they go find new home ranges. fawn bucks who's mother was shot during the season will more than likely stay on their mom's old home range! todd [/ QUOTE ] i've never seen it put that way before and its a good point, i personally know of two people on my lease that didn't take a doe for that very reason this year, maybe i should enlighten them... myself i shoot the first doe i see when i set out to shoot a doe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Born2Hunt Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Re: Taking Does Very good answer . I could not answer it better myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Re: Taking Does Some really great information there Todd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowhtr1 Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Re: Taking Does When you think you have shot enough doe's shoot some more. When you have less does the bucks have to travel more to find the does available increasing daytime activity. I like to shoot them early as long as the fawns dont have spots then the mom is fair game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texan_Til_I_Die Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Re: Taking Does BTW - If you see a doe that doesn't have a yearling, she probably isn't barren, just lost it sometime before the season. It's extremely rare to have a doe that's infertile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdickey Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Re: Taking Does We are under a management program regulated by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept. and are "obligated" to take as many does that we possibly can. The program allows us to hunt from Oct 1 till the end of Feb. We must take does, regardless if they are with or without fawns. We also have a "self-imposed" 8 points or better for mature bucks, and to cull all spikes. Current estimate has us at a 8 to 1 ratio does to bucks! The optimum for this area is 3 to 1. Last year we took 3 late season does, each had twins in their uterus. Our problem... we are just not seeing the deer, at least not until this recent cold spell that has blasted thru. The deer were still very much nocturnal. But the wildlife biologists explain that the reduction in doe population will produce more and better bucks and will probably cause both the bucks and does to appear more during the daytime. Our objective reamains, to take as many does as possible! Also noted the recent poll on the website.... about the size of bucks taken this year. It showed a lot of 5 to 8 point deer being taken. IMO, more people should set a personal minimum of 8 points or better! You'll get bigger and better bucks if you do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texan_Til_I_Die Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Re: Taking Does Are y'all on a Level III MLDP? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdickey Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Re: Taking Does Yep, level III! Plus our rancher is in WHIP(wildlife habitat incentive program), the downside to that is it prohibits us from planting food plots. There are no crops around us for 5 miles, so can you imagine what a food plot would do?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LETMGROW Posted December 10, 2005 Report Share Posted December 10, 2005 Re: Taking Does Bummer on the food plots. Will they allow you to regenerate the natural plants which are already there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockefeller66 Posted December 11, 2005 Report Share Posted December 11, 2005 Re: Taking Does We take any doe that isn't a fawn and take them any time we can just cause we don't have time to get too picky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted December 11, 2005 Report Share Posted December 11, 2005 Re: Taking Does any mature doe fawns or no fawns this late in the year... the fawns will be ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texastrophies Posted December 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2005 Re: Taking Does Didn't get around to a doe, but I did get this guy out of the gene pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texan_Til_I_Die Posted December 13, 2005 Report Share Posted December 13, 2005 Re: Taking Does Yep, that's a good one to remove. That "missing browtine" stuff is bad news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted December 13, 2005 Report Share Posted December 13, 2005 Re: Taking Does congrats on the buck tt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thayer Posted December 15, 2005 Report Share Posted December 15, 2005 Re: Taking Does Take them old, long faced does out...They know as much about our hunting habits, smells, times we hunt, how we sound and pass all that knowledge down to the youngins. Todd is very correct about buck displacement, the does are very good at discouraging inbreeding. I would like to see some of the studies that Texas is doing regarding the ability to affect changes in free ranging deer genetics. Don't think you can do a whole lot of good taking out spikes.....give them time and they will be good shooters...at least the majority of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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