Wait until after the rut to shoot a doe?
Pennsylvania
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I'm wondering what you guys think about shooting a doe with the rut about to kick in? Would it be better to wait until after the rut or do you think it doesn't make much of a difference?
Does what make a difference? Not sure what your referring to.
Sorry for the poorly worded question. Do you think taking a doe this close to the rut would have enough of a negative impact on your chances to take a buck during the rut that you would pass on a doe for now?
Ok....in my experiences, no, I've killed bucks in just a day or two after a doe kill in the same spot. Generally speaking, critters eat up the guts and so forth that night after the first kill.
I won't just for the fact that you never know what will show up after the does move on. Its up to the hunter no harm in it I guess
If I have does moving past my stand now while bucks are chasing and cruising looking for for you bet that doe walks after Nov 1 for me, Infact ive passed doe this week because I've been seeing bucks chase since Monday. The stand I hunted today is a great example, I saw two 6 points chase the doe hanging in this little thicket/ Apple orchard I'm hunting on Mondsy evening. I hated there Tuesday morning and passed s dandy 2 1/2 year old 9 point that was fallowing that same doe I could have shot the doe that morning but didn't. I threw a camera over a scrape in that little orchard Tuesday afternoon. I had daytime photos of real nice 8 point I'd shoot in there yesterday afternoon minutes after that doe and fawns went by then another smaller 8 point.
Today go back to that stand I heard a buck chasing on the way in to the stand within 150 yards of the stand. I sat there almost the whole day other than from 1:00 to 2:30. That does faws were around all day at first I thought it was the doe and one fawn but it's so thick in there it was hard to tell, later I found it was a BB and a doe fawn, they were around me almost all day. When I clmbed down and checked the camera the story unfolded, at 5:35 am I had pictures of the doe with her doe and BB fawn, a few minutes the buck I've been hunting for three years came into the scrape, I can assume that the chasing I heard was him chasing her. The fawns stayed there all day waiting for her to come back, hopefully she is back in the morning with that buck in tow. If I would of shot her Tuesday I would probably not have as good of a chance of seeing him tomorrow as I think I do right now.
Mike
If I have a buck tag, does get a pass when the rut starts kicking in. I try get in and out of my stands and areas as quick and quiet as possible without disturbing to much. The last thing I want to do is maybe have to track a doe all over the property, then gut and drag her out of a property that is one of my better spots for bucks.
If I was gonna shoot a doe I would do it early in the season in a spot that's NOT one of my better areas for bucks. JMO
Ben
Depends on why you're out there I suppose. I would shoot a doe any ol time. Doe, buck, turkey, squirrel, mushrooms, same difference. I'm an equal opportunity hunter/gatherer :^)
Passing a perfect opportunity because a male deer MIGHT come along? Nah, ain't happenin'.
Same here Jeff! Like I told one of my hunting buds.............you know what's the best buck attractant? A dead doe lying on the ground! ;-)
I've done it before..................one year shot a doe about 8:30. Got down gutted and propped cavity open and drug it over under a pine tree about 30y from my stand. Got back up and had a nice buck coming in at 10:30, unfortunately had my phone go off(forgot to put it on vibrate) and spooked him. About 4:30 had a (what turned out to be a) button buck come in and shot it at 25 y and fell within 40y of where the other one fell. I am convinced shooting that doe in the morning had no affect on shooting a deer later in the day.(and if my buddy had not picked that exact time to call me, probably would have had a shot at that nice buck! ;-)
I'll only take does the first 2 weeks. Normally just one. I don't shoot them while buck hunting during the rut.
Rut, cool story. I had a similar experience... shot a doe about 20 yards downwind of a scrape after I did some calling.... watched her drop within spitting distance of the scrape... it was early so I took care of it and drug it off to the side a bit, still within sight, got back up in the tree and rattled in a buck almost immediately and killed him too. He was really itching to fight and came in so fast I didn't have time to hang my rattling horns up before he was 7-8 yards away. He must have came in past the scrape and very near where that other deer fell. I was turned looking behind me and rattling and when I turned to face the front, there he was.
Never look a gift deer in the mouth. Kinda silly to pass good venison just for antlers. I doubt a rutting buck gives a darn anyway...they will even challenge hunters now and then.
Jeff and Rut, Maybe a dozen years ago on the season opener I killed a doe at day break and did just as you two did: gut, tag and drag, then killed a buck right there a short time later. What a day that was - lots of work afterwards, but a great memory nonetheless. Certainly it wasn't the rutting season, but again, I have killed bucks in the same place as does in the rut inside a day or two of the doe tag being filled. Deer die in the woods every single day of each week throughout the year.
Roger, I agree, deer die in the woods all the time, that's really not what I'm worried about. If I'm in a spot where I know there is a nice buck or two that I'm trying to kill, I don't want to maybe have to track a doe in to a bedding area and get her out of there. Not because I'm worried about a dead deer spooking the buck or bucks but Im more worried about ME spooking them, either by jumping them out of there while tracking or just leaving my human scent all over the place while getting the doe out.
It's everyones call to make on there own. Maybe I go a little to far with trying not to spook a nice buck I'm after but that's just what I do.
Ben
Thanks for the input guys, I appreciate it. So far the season hasn't gone the way I expected it and I've been re-evaluating my goals. Getting your perspectives helps.
Well I just went against what I normally do and I'm happy. Last night my 5&6 year old boys asked why I'm not shooting these deer I keep telling them I see and I could not come up with a good answer to tell a kid, the 6 year old told the 5 year old daddy wants to shoot big bucks, I don't want them thinking like that. I know people who have kids that hunt and their kids won't shoot small bucks inturn most of them never got a buck. When I was a kid I was excited to get any deer, I want that for my kids, they can choose to hunt big bucks if they want when they are older. Shoot what makes you happy.
Mike
Shoot the doe unless "she's Hot" or "there is a big boy following"
bill v.
Shoot if you want, whenever. I shot a big doe the first week of November. It was a really slow day, and she was under me for 20 minutes and no bucks showing interest. She got a ride in the truck.
I shoot lots of does. 7 so far this year. Hope to put a few more in the freezer.
7! How many wives are you feeding?
No wife. Donated the two huge does, so the other five were fawns and small does. I really don't have much meat in the freezer.