The Kid Posted November 20, 2007 Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 hey guys i was just wondering why is it good to shoot does. i have more than enough food for the deer around my hunting land because there is an agriculture company and farmers that own probably 800 acres around my hunting land. i see 30 to 40 does a night, and i know they get enough food because the fields are full of carrots. i know i need a good buck to do ratio but last july i would see 20 to 25 bucks a night out in the field. i was just wonder what you guys thought about it. i personally don't shoot does, if i want meat i just take a "scrub" buck out of the heard that i don't what messing up the genetics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodshed Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 This is an often debated topic. It has many answers and I'm sure you can find in the "search" menu on this alot of discussion. First: I'd love to be able to see that many deer a day when I hunt. I'm lucky to see those numbers for a season. So be happy about that. Second: shooting does; It evens out the ratio for one. Makes the rut activity more interesting because there's more competition for the bucks to get a doe. The does with fawn bucks wont be able to run them out, so they'll be there next year. (hopefully). there is more food available for the remaining deer if you have less deer there. One doe each year will prob. have at least one fawn prob. two if there is as much food as you say. That is 3 deer per year more to forage on your property than if that doe lives. Also,,the doe fawns she has, will also be multiplying your numbers on the property when they begin to breed. If you shoot a buck, then only one less deer on the property. If the bucks your shooting live, they will have an oportunity to reach full maturity and you will be harvesting much better bucks in the future. Also back to the competition thing. If that buck lives it, you are also evening out the ratio twice. You have one additional buck and one less doe, possibly more if she gives birth to does. So your rut activity is more intense due to buck competion again. I'm sure others have more reasons, much of which are prob. more scientific, but this is some of what I come up with. Good hunting:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildthing Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 This is an often debated topic. It has many answers and I'm sure you can find in the "search" menu on this alot of discussion. First: I'd love to be able to see that many deer a day when I hunt. I'm lucky to see those numbers for a season. So be happy about that. Second: shooting does; It evens out the ratio for one. Makes the rut activity more interesting because there's more competition for the bucks to get a doe. The does with fawn bucks wont be able to run them out, so they'll be there next year. (hopefully). there is more food available for the remaining deer if you have less deer there. One doe each year will prob. have at least one fawn prob. two if there is as much food as you say. That is 3 deer per year more to forage on your property than if that doe lives. Also,,the doe fawns she has, will also be multiplying your numbers on the property when they begin to breed. If you shoot a buck, then only one less deer on the property. If the bucks your shooting live, they will have an oportunity to reach full maturity and you will be harvesting much better bucks in the future. Also back to the competition thing. If that buck lives it, you are also evening out the ratio twice. You have one additional buck and one less doe, possibly more if she gives birth to does. So your rut activity is more intense due to buck competion again. I'm sure others have more reasons, much of which are prob. more scientific, but this is some of what I come up with. Good hunting:) well stated...I agree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcs3344 Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 thats a lot of does to see in one evening of hunting, also a lot of bucks too which is good. There are many benifits in killing does and the most being that if u kill the does then you have a lot more of a chance for bucks to get good gentics. Reason behind this is that if the deer heard gets so big then genitics get a lot worse because after a while they will start breeding with family members and mess up everything. Around reason is lets say you have 30 does and 20 bucks on your property, and im sure its a lot more than that. When the rut comes around those 20 bucks dont have to hardly move at all to try and find a doe they can breed and there is no competition, then your going to have small deer breeding does and then again messin up the jean poll. Now if you were to kill lets say 15 does this year and then you have more bucks than does on your land you are going to increase the movement of the bigger bucks because now they have to look hard for does. All in all it just makes the deer hunting a lot better if you lower the does on your land. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardwood_HD Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 i agree with what they all said.. motsly for me the benifit is meat in the freezer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missilelock Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 something to think about........just because a small buck is breeding instead of an older bigger buck doesnt effect the gene pool in any way. Age doesnt make good genetics otherwise I would be a mighty fine specimen:D:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippyswamp Posted November 25, 2007 Report Share Posted November 25, 2007 Your genes are already in your herd, and to try and change those of wild deer are pretty tough. And the only way you can tell a "scrub buck" from a keeper is to let the animal get to at least three years of age. So culling out a young buck in hopes of keeping a better line of genes carring on is impossible. But if your seeing that many deer on a evening hunt, what aren't you seeing? It's time to drop the hammer on some smoothies and eat good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bigalt78 Posted November 25, 2007 Report Share Posted November 25, 2007 the way i look at it in my area i always instult and dog on the guys who dont shoot does because where i live if everyone dont shoot does the park will and they have in one place and when they did there was nothing in that HUGE area for a couple of years if they end up doing that in all the parks around where i live the population is going way way way down and that means me who likes to kill my limit of deer every year wont get to because they'll change the limit for me in my zone in the state and that will tick me off really bad. i dont know why everyone head hunts. its good for the population to kill big ol mature does it keeps the herd healthy, having a lot of young deer for the following year. i say even if you dont need all the meat which i do i eat every bit of the seven deer i kill every year and this year more cuz of another state but if you dont want it do a good deed and give it to the hunters for the hungry program, i know im going to donate a deer a year to that program every year now cuz i just found out about it. well that's my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoyt03 Posted November 25, 2007 Report Share Posted November 25, 2007 I think it would do you good to take a few does each year just to keep doe populations in check so they don't get too out of hand. Here in PA I think some doe harvest is good, but the GC has taken it a little too far in places. I hunt two properties and on one I'll take does, the other one they walk. If you take a few does a year you will not be seeing anything different. If you and your buddies start taken a few each year then you might start seeing a little bit of change Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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