Am I being stupid?

[Mossy-Back]

This is my first year bow hunting (using a recurve no less). Tomorrow is the last day of our early deer season in western Oregon. I can shoot any deer in the area I am hunting. I’ve had shot opportunities at 3 does so far but have been holding out for a buck, as I know there is a forked horn hanging around the area. The meat is the most important thing to me, but I’d love to get a buck.
This morning I had a broadside 15 yard shot at a doe and it took a lot of willpower to pass on it. I’d be thrilled to get any deer with a bow this year, but I keep thinking I have a whole month left to hunt during the rut in November and early December. Am I being stupid passing on the does?

 

[Dave N]

That's entirely your choice. Can't kill a deer, ANY deer, unless you fling an arrow. If meat is the important thing then maybe you better take what's available. Does also seem to taste just a little better to some folks. First year and with a recurve to boot? Take that doe. Get one under your belt. Good luck!

 

[Dunning Kruger]

You have all the time in the world. Seems to me like you dont really want to shoot a doe, but youre trying to let yourself be talked into it. If thats the case, i think youd regret it.

 

[Werty]

I remember years ago, I killed 2 bucks chasing the same doe on opening day 45 minutes into the season " gun season". I'll never do that again. I remember going after some does later, but it wasn't the same. Its about the hunt.

 

[JLS]

Depends on what your priorities are.

 

[406LIFE]

I hunted three years with my bow before I killed something with it. It's a steep hurdle to jump, and once you do you'll feel everything come together.

Shoot what makes you happy, but shoot.

 

[Mossy-Back]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I am exited to hunt during the rut in the 2nd season, and I’m going to be rifle hunting for elk before that. I still have a little bit of my buck from last year in the freezer. If I get an elk I’ll have plenty of meat. If I shoot a deer now and also an elk I’ll have both freezers packed full.

 

[kmott]

never pass on the first day what you will regret passing later if you are not successful.

that said , if you really want a buck , hold out for one and buy a beef if you have no luck.

 

[brownbear932008]

Enjoy the season usually those does have the same routine and most likely you will have other opportunities. If you want a buck hold back a bit if you still have plenty of time to hunt. Enjoy the hunt!

 

[muleyfreak08]

I’m lucky enough to live in a state where if I wanna shoot a doe I can and keep buying tags. But does make great practice and they are great to put meat in the freezer. I’d hold off until the rut but I would fill my tag on a doe before I had tag soup.

 

[KipCarson]

One of my personal rules on which deer to shoot or what shot to take is, If there is a question in my mind about it then I probably don’t need to shoot that deer. If you’re having reservations and have another month to hunt, wait it out. Don’t wait too long though, I think at the end of the season you’d regret not taking any shot more than shooting one of the does. Hopefully during the rut one of the boys will follow one of those gals right in front of you! Best of luck to you

 

[N2TRKYS]

I don't blame you, I don't shoot does either.

Good luck. Hopefully, you'll find a buck to shoot at soon.

 

[Bigmo58]

If you need the meat then a 15 yard shot at any legal deer should be a no brainer. But if you would like the meat but aren’t in huge need of it hold out for a buck. However I wouldn’t let myself eat tag soup at the end of the season either.

 

[Pucky Freak]

As a kid we hunted deer 1.5 days per year. There was never a second thought on taking any legal deer. I now deer hunt many more days than that and I notch very few buck tags. Main reason is that I almost always fill a separate doe tag to solve the meat issue.

If you're on the fence about filling your tag with a doe, you'll probably later regret taking one. I've passed on many dozens of deer over the years and never regretted any of them. One year I passed on a 150" buck with my recurve at 10 yards because I wanted to wait for a 165" I knew of in the same area. No regrets.

 

[Mossy-Back]

I don't blame you, I don't shoot does either.

Good luck. Hopefully, you'll find a buck to shoot at soon.

I have no problem shooting does, but I try not to shoot any with fawns.

In Oregon you can only get one General season deer tag and whether it’s any deer or buck only depends on the unit. The only way you can shoot a second deer is if you draw a controlled hunt tag. Same thing goes for elk.

 

[ShadowFast1]

Where I live you can tag up to six deer in a season. No more than two can be antlerled. That leaves you tags for four antlerless. If you harvest two antlerless during muzzleloader or gun one of them MUST be taken from one of three specified zones on the west side of the state. Also if you do not fill your antlered tag on the last day of deer season you can use it to tag an antlerless as long as you comply with the bag limit of two antlerless, one of them being in one of the three zones. On top of that we have a "Holiday Antlerless Gun Season" in eight zones where you can tag one antlerless that does not count toward your season limit of six. If a fellow had a blessed hunting season he could end up with two antlered and FIVE antlerless. This is the part where I have to mention that antlerless does not necessarily mean a doe but could also possibly be a button buck or a buck that's shed but generally we are thinking about doe when we say antlerless.

*DEEP BREATH*

So what? Why does any of that matter? I typed that exhaustive paragraph (With lots of reference from the Hunting Regulations Guide) to make a point. The conservation programs that states develop are very well thought out. Millions of dollars are spent annually to pay for the development of habitat, collection of population data, and the employment of biologists to analyze the overall health of the animals statewide and nationally.

I have no problem with a guy that only wants to tag a trophy buck or will even go the entire season without filling his tag because he didn't find the buck he really wanted. That being said I do believe we should also do our part in participating in the conservation aspect of hunting, not just the trophy. I honestly get tired of watching hunting content that show only getting the biggest buck, bull or the highest scoring antelope they could find. I would like to see more hunting personalities showing the importance of hunting doe as it is a big deal when it comes to actual conservation. Even if you don't want to harvest a doe for meat for yourself there will likely be someone who would be more than happy to take it. I have been to several wild game feeds that churches have been able to put together because of donations from hunters.

I'll close with this. You are not being stupid. You are making your hunting experience what you want it to be. Which is what all of us are doing. I got drawn to get a cow elk in the Wichita Wildlife Refuge this December. It'll be my first elk hunt and Lord willing I'll be able to harvest one and donate some of the meat to a local church for their game feed. I can't wait to go and hopefully I'll successfully fulfill my role in conservation.

 

[Mossy-Back]

Where I live you can tag up to six deer in a season. No more than two can be antlerled. That leaves you tags for four antlerless. If you harvest two antlerless during muzzleloader or gun one of them MUST be taken from one of three specified zones on the west side of the state. Also if you do not fill your antlered tag on the last day of deer season you can use it to tag an antlerless as long as you comply with the bag limit of two antlerless, one of them being in one of the three zones. On top of that we have a "Holiday Antlerless Gun Season" in eight zones where you can tag one antlerless that does not count toward your season limit of six. If a fellow had a blessed hunting season he could end up with two antlered and FIVE antlerless. This is the part where I have to mention that antlerless does not necessarily mean a doe but could also possibly be a button buck or a buck that's shed but generally we are thinking about doe when we say antlerless.

*DEEP BREATH*

So what? Why does any of that matter? I typed that exhaustive paragraph (With lots of reference from the Hunting Regulations Guide) to make a point. The conservation programs that states develop are very well thought out. Millions of dollars are spent annually to pay for the development of habitat, collection of population data, and the employment of biologists to analyze the overall health of the animals statewide and nationally.

I have no problem with a guy that only wants to tag a trophy buck or will even go the entire season without filling his tag because he didn't find the buck he really wanted. That being said I do believe we should also do our part in participating in the conservation aspect of hunting, not just the trophy. I honestly get tired of watching hunting content that show only getting the biggest buck, bull or the highest scoring antelope they could find. I would like to see more hunting personalities showing the importance of hunting doe as it is a big deal when it comes to actual conservation. Even if you don't want to harvest a doe for meat for yourself there will likely be someone who would be more than happy to take it. I have been to several wild game feeds that churches have been able to put together because of donations from hunters.

I'll close with this. You are not being stupid. You are making your hunting experience what you want it to be. Which is what all of us are doing. I got drawn to get a cow elk in the Wichita Wildlife Refuge this December. It'll be my first elk hunt and Lord willing I'll be able to harvest one and donate some of the meat to a local church for their game feed. I can't wait to go and hopefully I'll successfully fulfill my role in conservation.

Some of my favorite hunts have been cow elk hunts with my dad. December on the Oregon coast can have some nasty weather, but we usually came home with a cow for the freezer. Good times.

That’s a very good point about the conservation aspect of the hunt.

 

[Trial153]

In my youthful exuberance I wanted my first deer to be a buck, I was lucky to arrow one my first season. Looking back I don’t know if I would feel the same today. There is lot to be said in gaining experience and success in bowhunting tends to breed more success. Take away what you will from that. There isn’t a right answer.

 

[Gerald Martin]

If you only have one tag, by all means hold out for the deer you want and eat the tag if it doesn't come by. If for some reason a doe comes past and the "kill" switch flips let it rip without second guessing yourself. You and you alone get to determine what is a meaningful hunt.

I will say that taking a first animal with a recurve is a pretty significant threshhold so the fact that it's "just a doe" wouldn't hold me back if you can continue hunting other animals later on.

 

[Mossy-Back]

Part of it for me is just that in my hunting career I have only shot one buck. I’ve been deer and elk hunting since I was 12 (33 now) and only shot does and cows until last year when I got my first buck. I still have never shot a bull elk. I’ve never hunted the rut for deer or elk here because rifle seasons are either pre or post rut. One of he reasons I wanted to start bow hunting was to have the opportunity to hunt during the rut.

I did have about a 10 year gap when I wasn’t hunting due to being active duty Marines and then my wife and I both getting college degrees while raising our first child. Now we have 3 boys.

I don’t have a lot of time to hunt so I try to make it count.