Doe Or Fawn

I am interested in knowing everyones view on this.

was in the stand Friday evening for a sit and a doe and fawn walked out. The fawn was obviously fully weaned and was actually a good size. While they grazed in front of me was wondering what everyone else would have done. Shoot the fawn or shot the doe or neither.

My son and I will always hunt the first deer for the freezer. so this being our first deer I should of taken one or the other but decided not to. I was enjoying the view for 20 minutes.

I have spoken to quite a few and its funny how many different opinions there are...some say take the fawn the meat is better...I have not had a bad doe yet...some say no leave the fawn to grow...

The natives will take fawns allowing the does to continue to reproduce...they say that a doe fawn is 2 years away from reproducing and high coyote country likely wont make it thru the winter if the doe has been eliminated.

Moose, funny how the mnr feel that everyone can take a calve, so they must think along the same lines.

Thoughts and comments will be interesting

I'd take the fawn and leave the doe. For reasons you mentioned. The fawn would likely link up with some other deer for the winter and be OK if you shot the doe. But I'd rather take the fawn and let the doe get bred again and hopefully have a fawn the next spring.

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Neither, I only hunt deer with buck tags.

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Originally Posted by canadaman30

Neither, I only hunt deer with buck tags.

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ok, but that what would you shoot if you had an antlerless and why

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Originally Posted by hockeymjt

ok, but that what would you shoot if you had an antlerless and why

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Neither, I don't shoot antlerless deer.

On the property we had for years we had no shooting does with fawns but if the shooter wanted to use their tag on a fawn that was their choice. We no longer have that property. Always had lots of Does and Bucks travelling it all year.

If your WMU has a skewed Doe/Buck ratio..(ie way to many Does) then the decision is easy, either. You can take a breeding Doe somewhat quilt free if the MNR is trying to reduce the overal population in that WMU...ergo why you have an Anterless Tag in the first place.

If the numbers are fairly balanced then taking a 'fawn' (a 50/50 chance of it being a Doe or Buck) would be the best option.

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Originally Posted by canadaman30

Neither, I don't shoot antlerless deer.

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People who refuse to shot an anterless deer have created a huge problem down south with unbalanced populations (20:1 ratios) and a lot of States/County's now have a "Earn a Buck' program that requires you fill a Doe tag before to get a Buck tag.

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Originally Posted by MikePal

People who refuse to shot an anterless deer have created a huge problem down south with unbalanced populations (20:1 ratios) and a lot of States/County's now have a "Earn a Buck' program that requires you fill a Doe tag before to get a Buck tag.

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I'm not creating any problems with my local deer heard..lol.

Not sure I am ready to shoot a doe/fawn just yet, but if I were, it would be the one that presented the best shot....