The question came up at deercamp this weekend. I don’t do it cause I guess my heart tells me NO over my need for meat. I personally don’t like guttin’ a doe while the little ones stand 30 yards away watching me! I know the fawns will be fine through the winter but just don’t like breaking up families I guess! What do you guys think? RR
During bowhunting I tend to pass on does with fawns. During gun season I just try to pick out the biggest baldy in the group. 
I did it once when I was 13yrs old. I shot the “Mom” and the little one came back after the gun shot and kept pawing and nudging the doe as if to say “Come on Mom, lets go!” I came out of the woods with tears in my eyes, and vowed never to do it again! 
I have the same feelings as you do early season, but alot of what I’ve seen the past few seasons has me changing my thought process a bit. We used to pass on all those does, at all times of the year, and have made hunting very difficult on our property!
What I’ve observed on our own land is a handful of does will bear a majority of the fawns in our area (mostly twins here). These mother does (discernible on-camera and while hunting through identifiable characteristics on their bodies) offer a few advantages.
-They bed in reliable locations throughout the year with their young.
-They repeat these patterns fairly closely each year.
The major disadvantage for us, is that these old does will pick off your stand locations and avoid them, educating other deer (and any bucks that may be following) in the process. Unless you move your stands yearly, (almost all of them more than just one tree over), they hear you climb down, see you coming or going, wind you, or see you up in the stand, and will avoid you.
By taking only yearlings, or 1-3 year old (dumber does), you’re promoting older, wiser animals that are much harder to hunt, and that make other deer smarter in the process. It’s why I took that old doe with my bow a few days ago. She winded me, and picked me off while motionless, even though I had good screening cover. She’s simply played the game many, many times before.
If whitetail populations were in trouble where I hunt, this would obviously be a poor strategy, as the better they are at avoiding hunters, the better the species does. However, in most areas of the upper midwest, I feel that promoting a younger median-aged doe population is a good thing for your hunting.
Ideas? Thoughts?
Joel
If I am bowhunting, I will normally let a doe with fawns pass. If a doe is with yearlings or other does, I try and shoot the dominant doe.
If I am shooting antlerless deer for management purposes, I personally have no qualms about harvesting a doe with fawns. If the fawns decide to stick around, I put them in the same place as mommy. 
Key QDM points, if you subscribe to their ideas…
1. Taking an adult doe will reduce the breeding population, both by that one deer, but also by future offspring. This is generally good assuming you are in an overpopulated area and/or sex ratios are out of whack (almost everywhere in MN/WI anyway). More food for a healthier herd, better sex ratios, bigger bucks/racks, better rut, etc… If you have the opportunity, don’t pass it up.
2. Take doe fawns if you are sure it’s not a buck fawn. Same reasons as above, some doe fawns will be bred this year.
3. If you shoot a doe with a buck fawn (or fawns), you might have a better shot of retaining that buck on your property come next fawning season. Not as likely to get booted during the spring “kick out” period, more bucks around for you to “keep” in the area.
4. The fawns generally will survive, probably depending on lattitude and winter severities.
2 cents, I could be wrong, but check out QDMA.org for more info.
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If you shoot a doe with a buck fawn (or fawns), you might have a better shot of retaining that buck on your property come next fawning season. Not as likely to get booted during the spring “kick out” period, more bucks around for you to “keep” in the area.
To me one that is often overlooked/ not noticed. If I notice twin Buck fawns with a doe, even if I do not plan on shooting a doe, I might harvest that doe out just so those bucks have a better chance of sticking around the property I hunt, before getting kicked out by mother. 
No problem of shooting any doe especially once it is past early season. Those fawns will make it just fine. A doe with fawns is a sign of a healthy mature Doe and the exact doe I’m looking to manage of in most places I hunt.
I wont do it.
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I wont do it.
X 2 unless she blows then all bets are off
I’ve shot my fair share of both does with yearlings and yearlings themselves… My freezer and stomach have yet to complain.
I used to try to not do it but ever since eab came in to play your options are sometimes limited, and if you want that buck tag you got to do what you got do, I hate eab for that and several other reasons but that could be a whole other post, I tell myself that it is the dnr killing mama, not me!!
Ive done it a few times and have yet to really regret it because fawns will be fine on their own around the beginning of october. They may still nurse but that doesn’t mean they survive on mom. If i ever have a fawn come up to a doe i shoot and kick it then i will never do it again I too would have tears in my eyes 
I try not to but I have shot a doe without seeing the fawn nearby and found that fawn would not leave at all as I approached and tried to get to the doe.
I usually look at the fawns – if there are no spots and they look big, then the doe is fair game for me.
I saw one yearling buck (button buck) this fall that had it’s buttons rubbed off. This yearling deer was not only big enough to survive on his own, he was likely bigger than some of the does in that area.
The theory on old does is very true, I’d try to harvest them when I can. They are often smarter than most and agree they tend to pick you off too easily in the stand.
I have always shot any good doe, with fawns or not. This past fall in MT, I watched a doe walk out, and the fawn came bucking out into the field, ran up to mom and started banging his head on her under side, then started nursing…. I know I couldn’t have shot that doe at that time… 
It was funny how it just banged her underside before nursing… 
In snow country where deer must migrate to winter areas those older Does are the pathfinders…Bear, wolves, and coyotes all predate heavily on fawns… W/O Mom the young fawns have a much higher mortality rate. I do harvest Does and try to pick out 18 month old, lone Does.
as far as shooting fawns…to me the 10 lbs of meat one gets from shooting a fawn is not worth its life, unless one thinks shooting 5 month old fawns is sporting.
I passed up a big doe Saturday afternoon. Had her twins with her…
Wish I would have her. I thought I’d wait for later in the season….I have no problem taking out the older mature does…non-what-so-ever..
Saw her dead on the road this afternoon. No question it was her. Like was mentioned earlier, had one of those ‘identifying’ characteristics….Some one’s vehicle is badly damaged 
U guys are missing out on some good eats
personally i would take a doe with fawns or not. i am 15 and to me a deer is a deer. prefer not to shot little ones though. and love the meat.
As long as the fawn or fawns it is with dont have spots it time. Ecspecially with a bow. Because to me any deer with a bow is a good deer. Over 3/4 of all the deer i have shot have been does. Wish more could be bucks though. 
i guess the great thing about intensive zones, is just whack ’em both! truthfully though, my wife highly frowns on any deer that comes home without antlers… “you shot a momma deer?” and then the look, and then the awkard silence…fawns are out too. I took a doe late last year, that old nag snorted at me for the last time, ruined like 5 chances at shooter bucks, and I never filled the buck tag last year.
my thoughts are that you should shoot the first mature doe that you can set your sights on! This promotes a better buck to doe ratio. and the alpha does are the ones that a that have spoiled the majority of my close encounters with mature bucks! The only problem is if the fawns are with her you have left witnesses!!!
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my thoughts are that you should shoot the first mature doe that you can set your sights on! This promotes a better buck to doe ratio. and the alpha does are the ones that a that have spoiled the majority of my close encounters with mature bucks! The only problem is if the fawns are with her you have left witnesses!!!
Well-said. Right-on!
Joel
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U guys are missing out on some good eats
Not me. I rarely even encounter that scenerio. More often than not I encounter young bucks and I would much rather shoot a male deer than a doe. My choice, my rules. Bring on the forkhorns!!!!! A perfect visual indicator of a mostly full grown deer but still T E N D E R. Like filleting a 18″ walleye or butchering your fryer chickens in the fall.
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U guys are missing out on some good eats
Not me. I rarely even encounter that scenerio. More often than not I encounter young bucks and I would much rather shoot a male deer than a doe. My choice, my rules. Bring on the forkhorns!!!!! A perfect visual indicator of a mostly full grown deer but still T E N D E R. Like filleting a 18″ walleye or butchering your fryer chickens in the fall.
To each their own Mike, as long as it is legal! It may be frowned upon in the fishing world keeping & eating a 26″ walleye, but often still within the law and a persons right.
I hear you Rob. I could go on and on about my beliefs but so could we all. As long as you are within the law it’s your business.
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