[titus2423]

Hey guys. Lookin to get some opinions here. I don't know about other states but here in Pa you can apply for, and almost always, obtain 2 doe/antlerless tags. I know a handful of people who refuse to buy even 1 doe tag because they believe that turns it into a "slaughter" only because they heard about the guy down the street who got 2. I'm one who thinks shooting one doe, or two in separate management areas, is good for the environment/deer habitat. Unfortunately, I know many people who have shot 4 doe in a season just because they had their spouse's tags or they were on their own property.

My question is, how do you feel about taking 1 or 2 does in a season? Whether it be archery, rifle, muzzleloader, or all seasons combined doesn't matter.

 

[savage111270]

I dont think it really matters where you shoot it as long as you fill your tags

 

[rdrader2002]

Taking does

We live on a tract of land with less than 50 acres and the deer travel through the property on some pretty well defined trails. It's not all that difficult to tell where they've been coming from and where they're going by following either their hoof prints or by other signs 'deposited' along the way.

We live in a one buck, two doe county. That's per person. The county due south of us is a two buck, three doe county and has been as long as I've lived here (over a decade). If I hunt and my two sons, gee that means that we could put up to nine deer in the freezer in a season. How many have I put in the freezer in any given season? Let's put it this way - I have yet to max out my tag. Two doe. One buck, one doe. But never all three.

There are plenty of deer in the immediate area. That's seen by the amount left on the side of the roadways after run-in's with cars. The latest I've seen was two does (one a yearling and the other maybe a year older) and part of the car that had hit them on the farm-to-market road about a mile from the house.

Now that I've said all of this, bottom line to my story is that if there are sufficient quantities of does in your area, then why not take one or two more (as long as they're put into at least someone's freezer). From what I've seen after watching the deer this season, the does come out at dawn and dusk while the bucks come out at mid-day to early afternoon looking for does. 99% of the bucks I've seen didn't quite meet the new TX DP&W 13 inch standards, although there were some pretty serious 6 pointers out there that were awful dad-gummed close. Most of the does I've seen were too small to shoot (or bother 'wasting' a tag on). The one doe that was big enough is already in the freezer (and shown in the gallery).:w00t:

 

[Guest]

in pa the tags are going to be sold to someone so not buyiung tags cause one thinks it'll save a couple does is wrong. they just sell the tags to someone else. that said i think the state is trying to reduce the numbers and get bigger more mature bucks. seems to be working. and yes there are fewer deer sightings but the week i hunted there i saw around 250 deer. to me thats a lot of deer.

 

[titus2423]

in pa the tags are going to be sold to someone so not buyiung tags cause one thinks it'll save a couple does is wrong. they just sell the tags to someone else. that said i think the state is trying to reduce the numbers and get bigger more mature bucks. seems to be working. and yes there are fewer deer sightings but the week i hunted there i saw around 250 deer. to me thats a lot of deer.

This is exactly my take. Hell, when I was still hunting I was buying both tags even if I had a feeling I wouldn't fill both or even one. The money spent on the tags helps the GC and other parts of wildlife services. I'll probably still do the same for next season when I can finally get back to hunting.

I was looking at the harvest reports last night and the management area I live in, as well as the surrounding WMU's, and we had the highest amount of doe kills in the state. I live in a 4 point antler restriction zone. The rest of the state is 3 points but they had much lower doe kills than buck kills.

 

[BruceBruce1959]

I was looking at the harvest reports last night and the management area I live in, as well as the surrounding WMU's, and we had the highest amount of doe kills in the state. I live in a 4 point antler restriction zone. The rest of the state is 3 points but they had much lower doe kills than buck kills.

The area you're hunting in may have reached the states Doe harvest expectations, I wouldn't be surprised if next season they
reduced the amount of Doe permits issued in your area by 1/2 or maybe even less but that will depend on what your biologist sees in the field and the amount of bucks in that zone.

 

[titus2423]

To be honest, I don't think they will reduce the numbers. They've given about the same amount of doe permits for our area for the past decade. I think the variation may have been a couple thousand, but I'm not sure what the exact figures were.

 

[BruceBruce1959]

They will eventually reduce doe harvest or risk the deer herd in those locations.
Without seeing the historical data I can't offer any predictions for the area but your biologists can determine the balance (buck to doe ratio) in that area which should determine the amount of doe permits to be issued.
if the Doe balance is way out of range then they need to harvest a greater number of does but you have to know how many doe permits were issued vs. how many permits were filled vs. what the havest was and compare it to what the harvest was projected to be and then base that on historical data which helps to determine the amount of permits to reissue for a given area.
I know Pa. is doing a great job so far with their deer numbers and for their hunter population.
I applaud their actions and hope other states take note of their success..
I hope this makes sense.

 

[titus2423]

It makes plenty of sense. It's obvious that what they're doing is working. We had a massive amount of does compared to bucks and, even though I personally haven't been out in 2 years, there are noticeably better ratios. We still have a good supply of antler-less deer to take but it's nothing like it was before. Not only that but the antler restrictions are helping the bucks mature as well, I've seen some of the deer taken by friends and the racks are very nice.

I'm glad there are resources, such as this board, that I can turn to and hear the opinions of other hunters. One of the guys I continuously talk to is hell bent against anything but shooting a buck just because some people shoot 2-3 doe a year, whether they take them legally or not.

 

[kemster99]

I deer hunt in Georgia. our deer liscence is good for 10 does and 2 bucks. don't have a problem shooting them. put 5 in the freezer this year. usually try and get a couple does early in the season. then horn hunt the rut and after the rut.

 

[Body Bag]

I deer hunt in Georgia. our deer liscence is good for 10 does and 2 bucks. don't have a problem shooting them. put 5 in the freezer this year. usually try and get a couple does early in the season. then horn hunt the rut and after the rut.

I agree totally. Took 2 doe the beginning of the season. Hunted horns for 3 weeks. Still seeing a group of 5 does coming through yesterday. Got a 3 day Christmas hunt. I plan to take at least one more.

I have seen 5 times as many doe as buck, so I got to work on the ratio.

 

[timetohunt]

Take the Doe's. I hunt primarily for the meat. I dont eat the horns nor have I met anyone that does. Its simple for me, If I have a tag for that doe, I will be taking the first good shot presented to me. If I waited for a buck, I would be one very hungry hunter. The only buck I could have gotten a shot at was a spike form this year and I let him go. Come to think of it, I only saw a buck while hunting one day this year and I put in a lot of time.

 

[kemster99]

my situation this year was that i have ALOT of young bucks. alot of spikes and forked horns and saw about 7 different 6 points. the county my lease is in is a QDM county. both of my bucks have to have atleast 4 points on 1 side. next season and the season after that should be real good, for bucks. always see lots of does. i lease 350 acres of planted pines and hardwood bottoms. i have it by myself and am able to manage it to a point. always make sure they get what they need to eat.

 

[daddus1]

I don't hunt in PA anymore not because of the amount of deer but I simply don"t have a reasonable place I like to go. Where I do hunt I will shoot does and they fry up mighty tasty!

 

[Hunting Man]

I still have 3 doe tags for PA flintlock season, I hope to fill 1 of them for the freezer.

 

[okiebowhunter]

taking does is an essential part of any management plan. here in oklahoma we're allowed 6 deer combined season limit. it can be all does or no more than 2 bucks. it really just depends on the herd's ratio in your area. its my opinion that harvesting bucks makes a bigger impact on the herd than does. that buck may cover 10-20 does during the rut, but that doe is only going have 1 or 2 fawns this season. that said, if a good sized buck walks by im still gonna try to get a shot off, but i'm just as happy to put a doe in the freezer.

 

[240Gordie]

Hey yall, new here.

I hunt in MS on a 1800 acre lease that my club has had for 20 some years. In MS you are allowed to take 3 does and 3 bucks per year. If you bow hunt, you can take an additional 2 does. My club is on a big buck program and we are only allowed one buck with 8pts or better and outside the ears. Our does need to be 100lbs or better(basically, don't shoot the yearlings).
I have no problem taking does. My son shot his first deer(doe) last month, and my wife shot one over Thanksgiving. Personally, I will not shoot one until late season due to my bucks are going into rut about right now. We have too many does on our property and really need to get the ratio better. Take does and let the bucks grow!

 

[BUCK]

Taking a doe to help out with the feed bill on the home front is acceptable by any means. As far as hunting for does, feel like the ole bow and arrow is an acceptable way of harvesting the animal. The doe population does need to be thinned out in a reasonable way.

 

[titus2423]

It appears that I'm not the only one ok with taking a doe. Haha, I can understand some people's fears about taking too many antler-less dear to a dangerous level but, I don't think enough people in the state of Pa fill their 2 doe tags to run into this problem.

 

[One Shot]

I hunt a club here in florida that is in the QDM program and we have had to shoot 100 does a year for the last 6 years( on 5000 acres). The year hurricane Ivan hit we didn't make our quota and the property owner almost pulled our lease from us. We are slowly starting to see the benefits of our efforts. If you can get doe tags fill them!!!! eventually you will see the benefits of your efforts