Question on taking does/female animals

[hardpan]

Hi Everyone,
I have a quick question. Out here in CA, most hunters are conditioned not to ever take a female animal. (no wise cracks please).

On my ranch in Texas, we need to remove the same number of females as males to be able to keep a balanced herd. In fact, hunting just males puts the herd far out of balance, much like the deer herd in Ca.

So, the question is about hunting does and cows. If you approve, would you personally take a doe? If you do not approve, what about letting others take a doe? (I call that an approval in this poll)

Thanks in Advance,
Hardpan

 

[russ808]

Hardpan, I shoot mostly does when I hunt here at home. They taste better and you can't eat horns. Bad for the teeth. :lol: I also understand the does also need to be culled to keep then herd balanced.
russ

 

[Bruce Mc]

Back in the sixtys and early seventies I hunted on several ranches in south Texas that were just plumb over run with does. Back then it was not only illegal but an outright "sin" to shoot a doe. You could sit in a stand and see dozens of does without ever seeing a buck. Today with the shooting of does, the herd is much healthier and a better balance of does to bucks. I've got four managed land permits to shoot does this season. I will see that all four are taken.

 

[rick smith]

I am the doe shooter in our club. Won't shoot a buck unless I plan to mount. After several years of this, I now have some other members taking does. We have a size limit on the bucks and after seven years we are starting to see much better bucks.Rick.

 

[DrMike]

Only within the past several years has the Ministry of the Environment in BC permitted the taking of does and cows. It is making a healthier herd for both deer and elk. I make an effort to take at least one doe for every buck I shoot.

 

[FOTIS]

See polls for my answer.

 

[257 Ackley]

In Minnesota, most zones have a permit drawing for doe permits based on the overall population of deer. The zone we hunt in had a drawing for 2400 doe permits held in September. Out of our party of 7, there were 4 permits to fill. The DNR has done a pretty good job of keeping the population stable for the past few years, so if the permits are given out, I feel it is important to try and fill the number of doe tags given. This is also a great way for younger or less experienced hunters to have some initial success harvesting game. Where we hunt, the woods are surrounded by corn fields, so either bucks or does are very tasty .

 

[Guest]

Speaking strictly from a wildlife management point of view, keeping the herd balanced is a key to having healthy deer. This is not just for big antlers, but more importantly for disease resistance and habitat preservation. Bigger antlers are a by product of taking does and letting small bucks walk. People who don't shoot does are ignorant of the dynamics of herd management. Only in areas of extremely low deer population overall should does be protected. There are very few of those areas left in the US or North America in general.

 

[corbin9191]

Sorry guy's that I had to break the hundred percent of taking a female animal, but I do approve of people doing it I just havent brought myself to shoot a female animal and dont think I will for awhile. I dont know why.

 

[Greg Nolan]

California is a prime example , as you know, of game management gone awry. Political correctness has allowed the mountain lions to decimate the deer herds and the lack of doe seasons unbalances the numbers. I've read that the predominance of deer taken by mountain lions are bucks because they tend to be loners so have less ears, noses and eyes to detect trouble. Also our seasons are way early before the rut in the hottest time of the fall. My thoughts are that the deer herds would be better off without too many does competing for the feed. I believe the best situation I've seen was in Idaho several years ago where you could shoot either sex on the last weekend of the season.
Sorry for the gripe session
Greg

 

[DrMike]

In our zone for the past two years, the deer season is one month long. Moreover, it is during the rut. You are allowed to take a combination of a total of three deer, but not more than one doe and one buck of either species. Since there are both mule deer and whitetails here, it is relatively easy to fill one's tags for meat. Prior to that, for a couple of years, the doe season (mule deer only) was two weeks prior to the buck season. Bucks of both mule deer and whitetails are managed for antler size. I will preferentially take a dry mulie doe as I find the meat to be more tasty. If a buck then presents himself and it is not too far into the rut, I'll drop him. On whitetail, if a large buck is found, I will certainly take him early in the season. Otherwise, I am content to take a doe.

 

[Guy Miner]

Oh heck yes, I've shot some does over the years. Why not?

Different places sure have different strategies on that though.

Here in Washington, if I opted for a mule deer doe tag, I'd lose all the points I've accumulated towards getting a really good late-season buck hunt someday. Not a chance that I'm going to sacrifice those points just to shoot a doe. I want those points to go for a late season Big Buck Mulie.

In Wyoming where I also hunt time to time, I can buy a couple of doe tags to go along with my buck tag. Dirt cheap too! The non-resident buck tag was over $500, but the two doe tags were something like $36 each. I could have legally taken three deer, a buck and two doe mulies. Settled for one doe.

My 2009 Wyoming doe - a 400 yard shot I'm pleased with:

My son's 2009 Washington doe, taken after a good stalk:

Fun hunts, and good eating and it helps the herd. Why not? Yes, I also took a young 3x3 mulie buck here in Washington..

 

[str8meat]

i am raising pirannas they are 10 and 12. they also have hollow legs. we have been drawing the second deer tag in wa. state for 3 years and have only killed 1 buck all the rest have been does. most have been with archery. its vital that the herd is somewhat balanced. there are a suplus of does. if we dont kill them mother nature will and her methods are much worse than ours.

 

[TScottW99]

I shoot does most of the time. I only shoot bucks that 3 1/2 or older. Not only does it help the deer herd but it helps the hunt. Less does means more bucks chasing and looking :grin:

With waterfowl I try not to shoot hens but it does happen, they eat the same.

 

[FOTIS]

Sorry guy's that I had to break the hundred percent of taking a female animal, but I do approve of people doing it I just havent brought myself to shoot a female animal and dont think I will for awhile. I dont know why.

I respect you ideology. However when you see a buck antelope surveying 25 does ................................

 

[SJB358]

In Virginia, we have a long deer season, and where I am bow hunting, you can shoot six does before the buck season even starts. I agree with alot of you all, where there are slimmer herds and you don't actually see alot of animals, you need to mind the does, but overall, I am a big fan of shooting does. They usually taste better than bucks (larger ones) and they are just as fun to hunt with a bow. I am an equal opportunity hunter, if I have the tag, I am going to use it in order to put some more meat in the deep freeze. Same with hunting out West. Towards the end of the hunt, I will shoot a cow elk, just have that excellent meat for my freezer. Scotty

 

[Tiny]

I will shoot does where and when legal , if there nice enough to come out an play.

 

[jtoews80]

This year I'm after a buck as the winter was pretty bad and alot of the younger does and fawns were "winter killed".

Most years I do shoot a doe for meat and have no qualms about it. Course there was a couple winters when I was a kid that all we ate was deer meat and that was not by choice, so perhaps neccessity can dictate ones actions. Venison is much better than spam.

Fortunately, it's been 20 years or so since that was the case.

JT.

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

I have shot plenty of female wildlife, does, cows, hens, dont bother me one bit.

Its good game management no matter how you look at it.

How is having 100 females to 5 males good for anything??

I always thought you were suppose to have about an equal amount of both, like 50/50 for a good healthy population. I could be wrong though.

 

[Guest]

For deer, 1:1 is a good ratio. There are other species where having fewer males is more ideal.

Just about the only species I can think of where I would not take a female is the wild turkey. Hen survival is the single factor most responsible for species survival in turkeys. I know there are places where hens are legal for a period of time, and perhaps those biologists know something I don't, but I've always erred on the side of caution when dealing with the big birds.