tiggeer

I dont like hearing about 11 and 12 year old kids passing up does it agrevates me if u can shoot a doe go on and do it i dont see why not because when it comes down to the nit picking you just cant eat antlers unless your some kind of freak or something my first two deer where does one w/ a muzzle loader and one with my trusty old 243 and i have no regret shooting them ppl gave me heck about it and i told them that if they kinda some way to eat antlers than i would pass up a doe and they left me alone so when it comes down to all and all you younger hunters take advatage and shoot a doe its just as much excitement......... I would like all of your opinions please

Deerslayer_37

my first year(last year),i passed up does opening morning,just in case a buck as tailing them.the next morning,i missed a doe(i ended up shooting her later) and nailed my first deer, a buck.i took two huge does later in the season.so there.my opinion,pass on opening day,but bang away the rest of the season.

slayer

Bowhunter_45

I don't like it when it is their first or second year of hunting and they pass up a doe. I think that a deer is a deer. You shoot a deer for meat, the antlers are a bonus. I have never passed up a doe and this is my third year of hunting. This year i am going to pass up a doe with the gun beecause i already shot a couple does. I will not pass up anything with the bow. I think that a doe is just as hard to kill as a buck, if the oppurtunity is there, take it.

blacknight_50cal.

dont pass up does there very good to eat i have killed all does an on 13point buck

Deleted User

[Deleted by Admins]

8 Seconds

Sorry guys i gotta disagree with the general drift of things here, don't get me wrong theres nothing wrong with shooting a doe as your first deer and im sure that it is as much excitment, but where I hunt there are so many does we see in the high 20's a day that would not be a challenge, I have also passed on small bucks (spikes) because for me it is more of a challenge to get a decent sized buck. I never have to worry about meat because between the 4 of us who moose we almost always get one and we split the meat 4 ways and a quarter of a moose and a quarter of the elk we got last year was plenty meat.

Chris

buckandbronco

I passed on commenting on a thread similiar to this a while ago, but this time I'm going to say something.

Shooting does is a essential and important part of wildlife management. Hunters that care about the wildlife, and care about intelligent deer management, and care about a healthy deer herd will harvest does. Deer are born at a 50/50 ratio, and a normal, natural deer herd with have about 50 percent does and 50 percent bucks. This is the way it is supposed to be. Harvesting bucks only makes for an unhealthy, unnatural deer herd. Its creates decreased genetic diversity, does not promote the competition between bucks that should exist, and allows inferior bucks to do the breeding.

Also harvesting bucks only leads to overpopulation, starvation of deer, disease epidemics, massive die off and heavy winter kill. Overpopulated deer starve more and reproduce less. Unhealthy deer cannot reproduce.

Does are just as smart as bucks and in areas were you have a balanced deer herd, just as hard to kill as bucks. It is only where there are unbalanced deer herds and unhunted does that you will see lots of does and few bucks. Mature does that are hunted become just as wily, and just as hard to kill as mature bucks. The dumbest deer out there are yearling bucks - spikes and four points. They are the easiest deer to kill.

Doe meat is as good, I think better than buck meat. I hunt to put meat on the table. To me, hunting is not some sort of macho bragging contest - gotta kill the biggest buck. Sure, I like to kill a big buck, but I will pass kill spikes or four points. I would much rather take a doe. I say, pass on that immature buck, and kill a doe.

Taking does is ethical, it is proper wildlife management, it creates a proper and balanced deer herd, it prevents overpopulation, it can be as challenging as you want it to be, and best of all, it makes for good eating.