Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Damage Hunt, doe and fawns?

I own a property on the Arkansas River here in CO. We are getting overrun with whitetail deer. Myself, and two other neighbors, got permission for a damage hunt for does this season.

Last night, I sat near a field just next to the river, and around 5 pm, a doe and her two fawns emerged from cover into the field, first around 150 yds. away, then they worked their way towards me to around 30 yards.
I know this is a damage hunt, to try to reduce the number of deer in our corn crops, but I just could not do it! Maybe I'm getting old, but I'm not sure I would have ever done it.

What would you all do, just curious? No judgement here.

Well I eat lots of deer, so I would have shot

Being over run with deer, having a "damage hunt" and then passing deer seems counter productive

Bang, bang. Sorry, what was the question again?

Bighorn,

I'm with you. I can't shoot a doe with fawns.

When having to do similar, I target the yearling does. I understand some things just need to be done for herd management but perhaps it's best to get a trusted father looking to get sonny (or daughter) a couple deer under his/her belt and let them at it.

Whether they let you know what they've taken is up to you.

The Fawns will melt in your mouth.

Doe first then the others.

I have no qualms with shooting a doe that has yearlings. I tend to see the yearlings return to feed in the same spots for the rest of the season, so they must do okay. Once they can outrun a coyote, they are good to go down here. Plenty of stuff to eat.

And I've also heard that it is best to take the yearling does when culling numbers, as the bigger does likely have more experience with productively raising fawns. Still, it is hard for me to pass up a big-frame, horse-headed doe when I need meat for the freezer...

You either want to stop damage or you don't. Your call.

Having just completed a population reduction, I can say that shooting the bigger older does who are already dropping twins works. They don't eat as well as the younger does with just one fawn. Fawns (6 month old or less) eat the best by far..

Does can and do drop twins very late in life. They usually start at 3-4 YO and continue until they die or they become malnourished and one or both get resorbed. About five or six years back I killed a very old doe. Somewhere on the high side of 10. Chops and tenderloins were OK, but the rest made good burger.

The way to do it is to head shoot the doe first and then wait for the fawns to come back. They usually won't stay gone more than a few minutes. If you're quiet and patient, the fawns will lie down next to her and you can head shoot them to preserve that meat.

If they aren't spotted fawns (I know you didn't say they were), but if they are out of spots, we will take a big doe with yearlings. Not sure you are going to get much accomplished if you don't want to shoot a big doe because she has a couple of little ones with her. We kill the big does all the time, and it is very very common to see the little ones come back to the plots week after week, none the worse for wear.

If we had to conduct a damage hunt to control numbers, as long as they had no spots, then if it's brown it's down.


Clyde

I would take as many as I could process and freeze.and then some.

With corn prices being as low as they currently are, the deer probably aren't doing all that much monetary damage.

If you decide to shoot some of those deer, you could give the meat to an organization like farmers and hunters feeding the hungry if you don't want it.

www.fhfh.org

Bighorn-----I would love to get a whitetail doe. I'm in Durango. PM me if there is a chance. Bob

I couldn't do it either.

Find a cold-hearted hungry bastard to do your dirty work for you. No shortage of those, I'm thinking.

The HHH program in VA encourages you to take mature deer, no doubt to maximize the meat output for the dollars paid for processing.

I usually give 2 or 3 deer per year to Hunters for the Hungry. I'd probably give them a couple more if they'd let me keep the tenderloins, but they only take whole deer carcasses.

I don't shoot does with fawns, early in the season. So that means I don't shoot does early, because all the grown girls have fawns. The young deer are still learning from their moms, and I want all the does I can get around the rut. Do your killing late in the season...

Down here TPW has a program thru their Lottery Hunts called Private Lands and offer however many Hunts as the bio guys and the LO agree on. These are short 2 1/2 Day and 1 Full day hunts and the TPW bio guys run the Hunt just like it was any other Lottery Hunt on the State SP's SNA's & WMA's they manage. One of the locations I looked at to enter an App for had umm a small # of assignd blinds & compartments, but had 8 Hunt Dates scattered over a 2 month period. Might be something to think about as a way to accomplish you herd reduction goal. Another part of the TPW Lottery Hunt program is dedicated to Youth Hunts as a seperate series of locations.that require an adult partner but only allows the Youth to pull the trigger.

The usual App Fee for an adult in a laundry list of available Hunts is $3 & $80 Permit for the lucky hunter for the two 1/2 day & 1 full day hunt period , or $3 for the App Fee and more $'s ($120 ??) Permit Fee or a 5 day ( two half day 1st and last & 3 full days)...and the Private Lands is $10 for an App Fee and ZERO $'s for the Permit Fee.

I'd really like to see this Private Lands program grow substantially rather than using paid pro shooters to shoot mega #'s of WTails at a time to effect a herd reduction program....and leave 'em lay.
JMHO & YMMV
Ron