Poll: Would you shoot a doe with a fawn?

[N2TRKYS]

I don’t shoot does or fawns at all, regardless of time of year.

 

[Sytes]

I cracked a doe (5 tag river bottom deal in the Missoula area) then a fawn came out of another area. I shot the fawn as well. Had the fawn been out and about, I would have passed. Far too many does, hence the 5 "river bottom" tags.

 

[LWC55]

I've weaned a few fawns. Do it later in the season and they are plenty old to fend for themselves.

 

[Gerald Martin]

I've got a spotted fawn all alone eating grass from my lawn as I type. Pretty sure the doe is road pizza since she isn't with her and there was a car sitting with a smashed in hood at the end of my driveway yesterday morning. Biologically, fawns are able to survive without milk by early August and I'm sure she will be fine.

There are plenty of valid personal reasons for not shooting a doe with a fawn but fawn starvation from a biological standpoint isn't one of them.

 

[Dave N]

I hunt late enough in the year the fawns are self sufficient. I've killed both at times. If a doe and fawns come through I wait for the bigger (meat-wise) doe to present a shot. If that's not going to happen I'll try to arrow one of the fawns. I like to eat, and If I wait for bucks only or a solo doe (rare) I may go hungry for a while!

 

[Brian in Montana]

I've read in more than one place that fawns are perfectly capable of surviving on their own by fall, and they usually take up with the other does in the area if something happens to momma. I've shot more than one doe with fawns. I really don't worry too much about it.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

I have done it before on a couple occasions with deer. Might do it again if I ever got another doe/fawn deer tag. I kill doe antelope every year and try to kill ones without fawns but it doesn't always workout that way.

 

[MTGomer]

I voted no but I’m thinking about it as in right now.
You’d get a different answer if you asked in November.

 

[Gerald Martin]

I have to say that anyone who has shot a doe and then watched a fawn bleat and hang around an area tends to associate that with an emotion of grief or loss. This can definitely color a hunter's personal decision to pass on a doe.

I know one year in bow season I had a doe and a button buck in front of me. I was on the fence about whether to fill my doe tag or not. When the button buck tried to nurse and she kicked him and ran off she sealed her fate. I figured he was plenty well weaned and could face life on his own. That was confirmed when I made a good shot and she went down within sight. The little buck walked over, sniffed her briefly and went back to feeding and walked out of sight without a backward glance.

 

[Ben Sellers]

Wouldn’t do it now, knowingly. 20-25 years ago I’d have smoked one or both. My drive to kill is much lower than it used to be.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Have watched WT doe run off her female fawn for several days while being bred by a buck. Fawn joined her back later. Like others have said, it's hard to tell if a lone doe is really without fawn unless you have ample observations over time to confirm it.

For depredation hunts and areas over population objective you have the biggest impact by taking the dominant doe, who usually is very fertile and often has twins. If population is low, better to just to pass on everything without antlers.

Local trail cam this year showed 3 different sized fawns, likely conceived in different months. Some will be self sufficient by Sept but the smallest ones I'd be concerned if they didn't stay with doe at least until Nov

 

[kmott]

depends on situation ,I suppose. never say never.

I will say I have no desire to.

 

[sbhooper]

I don't know why anyone would have a problem doing this. There is nothing wrong ethically, or legally. Why do you think the antlerless permits are for "doe/fawn"? During most hunting seasons, many of the fawns are nearly as big as their mothers. There is not a survival issue, either. I have killed a lot of does in the summer, while doing depredation work for a neighbor. I have killed does with fawns that are real small and continued to see that fawn throughout the summer, munching away on the corn. They can survive, even when really small, so hunting season size is not an issue at all.

I would not shoot one right away, unless I had several tags-which I always do here. They are some of the very best meat in the woods, whether we are talking about elk, or deer. I have put lots of them in the freezer over the years.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Have watched WT doe run off her female fawn for several days while being bred by a buck. Fawn joined her back later. Like others have said, it's hard to tell if a lone doe is really without fawn unless you have ample observations over time to confirm it.

For depredation hunts and areas over population objective you have the biggest impact by taking the dominant doe, who usually is very fertile and often has twins. If population is low, better to just to pass on everything without antlers.

Local trail cam this year showed 3 different sized fawns, likely conceived in different months. Some will be self sufficient by Sept but the smallest ones I'd be concerned if they didn't stay with doe at least until Nov

Twinning rates has more to do with carrying capacity than the age structure of the doe.

 

[Fullquiver]

Being a farmer and living amongst many farmers and friends and having dozens of antlerless deer destroying acres and acres of crops. Every deer that I have a license for and are in legal season is in mortal danger. I can buy 10 antlerless tags for myself and I fill them at will with extreme prejudice. More than a few times I have also been a designated shooter for crop damage permits on local farms here in my township..

I once had a local lady from church ask me how I could kill all of those innocent deer. I responded, "I don't, I only killed the guilty ones..". She didn't know how to respond..

 

[sbhooper]

Being a farmer and living amongst many farmers and friends and having dozens of antlerless deer destroying acres and acres of crops. Every deer that I have a license for and are in legal season is in mortal danger. I can buy 10 antlerless tags for myself and I fill them at will with extreme prejudice. More than a few times I have also been a designated shooter for crop damage permits on local farms here in my township..

I once had a local lady from church ask me how I could kill all of those innocent deer. I responded, "I don't, I only killed the guilty ones..". She didn't know how to respond..

Love it! Deer are deer, the small just drag easier and taste the best of all. I lost a lot of my love for Bambi crap, when I started seeing how much damage my neighbor sustains.

 

[backcountry_sassn]

Antlerless tags are for population control. When biologist consider tag quotas, they factor in fawn lost both by hunters and by incidental loss from the mother being killed. As hunters we like to use the conservation card and meat card, but don’t always have that mind set while we are on the hunt. And just like all hunting, it’s a personal choice when it comes to pulling the trigger. But we need to remember conservation purpose for the hunt.

 

[marshman]

Actually i have never shot a doe, or a female of any species if possible, for sure some hen mallards have died in the predawn light but I do try to avoid it. Shot a cow elk with a permit once, she ate great but I didn't get a warm and fuzzy feeling over killing that cow.
I am quite up on the management and science piece of it, but I just have a hard time killing the baby producers.

 

[NYyotekiller]

Maybe not a big deal for the southern and warmer climates, but up in the northern climates it's crucial that a fawn is shown where the winter food is located, so for me, I won't shoot a doe with a fawn unless special circumstances.

I currently have a 3 year old doe living at my place that had its mother shot when it was a fawn. When winter hits and the snow gets too deep and the deer migrate off the higher elevations, she stays put and I have to "supplement" feed her so she can survive until spring. This year she has twin fawns so it will be interesting to see what she does when the snow gets deep.

 

[COEngineer]

I think as hunters we like to play the "scientific management" card, but this survey (unscientific as it is) seems to show that we hunters base our decisions on emotions just as much the anti's and wolf lover and horse lovers. Sad but true...not sure why I'm so surprised.