04-03-2004, 03:25 AM
Thinking back over my early years of becoming a hunter, I recall the words of wisdom and advice that have left a lasting impression on my endless pursuit of wild game. There have been safety concerns that my dad preached into me, as well the respect for game I've learned from watching friends and fellow-hunters. There is one thing however; that has left a negative impression on me since one of my earliest triumphs with deer.
I was just several years into my teens when I ran into a shaggy looking fellow in the woods. I had just claimed the life of an unsuspecting doe. With only a few deer under my belt at that time, I proudly dragged my prize down the trail. Upon approaching the army fatigue-clad hunter, I paused to catch my breath and share of the hunt.
However, instead of the usual high-five's and slaps on the back that come with a successful deer story, I was informed of how wrong I was to kill a doe.
"You got a lot of guts killin' that doe, says the redneck. Where I come from, they'd whoop your #x@ for killing a doe."
Needless to say, I was crushed, deflated, and ticked. The redhead must have come out in me however, as I informed him that the doe I was dragging would taste a whole heck of a lot better than what he was dragging out (nothing).
Many years have passed since that brush with one of hunting's "finest" outdoorsman. Yet the memory still lingers of the mindset that some have concerning the harvest of does.
There seems to be a myth that looms about hunting camps everywhere that "real men" don't kill anything other than bucks. Fortunately there is a new generation of hunters that are preaching proper game management, including the harvest of does. Still there are many dads and grandfathers passing on to their kids the notion that true sportsmen don't kill does.
There are ample reasons for the harvest of does, but let's take a look at the important stuff first. Food. Decide whether you?re a meat hunter, or a rack hunter. The meat from a doe tends to make for better table fair than that of a buck, and likely to be more available than buck meat as well.
We've all heard it said before. "You can't eat horns."
That's kind of a no-brainer, but, there are dad's out there today making their kids pass up on the readily available does, in order to kill a buck. That's great if they are trophy hunting, but what about the guy who passes up does all morning, just to shoot a finger-length spike buck, for no other reason than to say, "I killed a buck." Why not let that spike grow into a majestic antlered buck to harvest in the years ahead?
Now, obviously there are those seasons that are buck-only hunts and the harvest of does is not an option. But every year, more and more doe tags and non-quota permits are becoming available to hunters looking to fill the freezer.
So when is a good time to harvest does?
Alan Peterson, Big Game biologist, says that it all depends on what you're trying to accomplish. "If it's population control, then anytime is a good time to kill does," says Peterson.
On the other hand, Peterson says that hunters seeking Quality Deer Management (QDM) will want to focus on harvesting does prior to the rut. "The idea is to narrow the number of does prior to the rut, enabling more does to be bred during the rut and in their first estrous cycle. Earlier breeding means earlier fawn production, which brings about a stronger herd," says Peterson.
The effects of not harvesting enough does can be detrimental to habitat, humans, and other deer. If we neglect the task of harvesting does, we will be over our head in deer. Now that may sound great, but to the farmer it means serious crop damage. To other deer it means loss of habitat, food, and diseases spread from herd to herd. In areas where deer populations have skyrocketed we see the number of deer/car collisions rise as well.
One email that has made its way around to a number of you hunters is of a buck that jumped off a bridge overpass onto the expressway below. The deer landed on top of an SUV crushing the roof and shattering the windshield, before it came to rest in the floorboard of the terrified driver.
The bottom line is that as hunters we are responsible for keeping nature in check. God gave us dominion over the animals, to kill and eat. Starvation and car collisions are much harsher than the way God intended. And God said, "let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Gen. 1:26
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I was just several years into my teens when I ran into a shaggy looking fellow in the woods. I had just claimed the life of an unsuspecting doe. With only a few deer under my belt at that time, I proudly dragged my prize down the trail. Upon approaching the army fatigue-clad hunter, I paused to catch my breath and share of the hunt.
However, instead of the usual high-five's and slaps on the back that come with a successful deer story, I was informed of how wrong I was to kill a doe.
"You got a lot of guts killin' that doe, says the redneck. Where I come from, they'd whoop your #x@ for killing a doe."
Needless to say, I was crushed, deflated, and ticked. The redhead must have come out in me however, as I informed him that the doe I was dragging would taste a whole heck of a lot better than what he was dragging out (nothing).
Many years have passed since that brush with one of hunting's "finest" outdoorsman. Yet the memory still lingers of the mindset that some have concerning the harvest of does.
There seems to be a myth that looms about hunting camps everywhere that "real men" don't kill anything other than bucks. Fortunately there is a new generation of hunters that are preaching proper game management, including the harvest of does. Still there are many dads and grandfathers passing on to their kids the notion that true sportsmen don't kill does.
There are ample reasons for the harvest of does, but let's take a look at the important stuff first. Food. Decide whether you?re a meat hunter, or a rack hunter. The meat from a doe tends to make for better table fair than that of a buck, and likely to be more available than buck meat as well.
We've all heard it said before. "You can't eat horns."
That's kind of a no-brainer, but, there are dad's out there today making their kids pass up on the readily available does, in order to kill a buck. That's great if they are trophy hunting, but what about the guy who passes up does all morning, just to shoot a finger-length spike buck, for no other reason than to say, "I killed a buck." Why not let that spike grow into a majestic antlered buck to harvest in the years ahead?
Now, obviously there are those seasons that are buck-only hunts and the harvest of does is not an option. But every year, more and more doe tags and non-quota permits are becoming available to hunters looking to fill the freezer.
So when is a good time to harvest does?
Alan Peterson, Big Game biologist, says that it all depends on what you're trying to accomplish. "If it's population control, then anytime is a good time to kill does," says Peterson.
On the other hand, Peterson says that hunters seeking Quality Deer Management (QDM) will want to focus on harvesting does prior to the rut. "The idea is to narrow the number of does prior to the rut, enabling more does to be bred during the rut and in their first estrous cycle. Earlier breeding means earlier fawn production, which brings about a stronger herd," says Peterson.
The effects of not harvesting enough does can be detrimental to habitat, humans, and other deer. If we neglect the task of harvesting does, we will be over our head in deer. Now that may sound great, but to the farmer it means serious crop damage. To other deer it means loss of habitat, food, and diseases spread from herd to herd. In areas where deer populations have skyrocketed we see the number of deer/car collisions rise as well.
One email that has made its way around to a number of you hunters is of a buck that jumped off a bridge overpass onto the expressway below. The deer landed on top of an SUV crushing the roof and shattering the windshield, before it came to rest in the floorboard of the terrified driver.
The bottom line is that as hunters we are responsible for keeping nature in check. God gave us dominion over the animals, to kill and eat. Starvation and car collisions are much harsher than the way God intended. And God said, "let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Gen. 1:26
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] GREAT ARTICLE DAN !!! YOU CAN ALSO BLAME THE MEDIA FOR THE '' IF YOU DON'T SHOOT A BUCK , YOUR NOT A HUNTER '' PEOPLE SHOULD REALIZE THAT A DOE IS JUST AS MUCH OF A TROPHY AS A BUCK IS !!! I CONCIDER MYSELF A TROPHY HUNTER , BUT I WON'T SHOOT A BUCK OR UNLESS IT GOES ON THE WALL !! I'LL SHOOT DOES INSTEAD OF A SMALLER BUCK , JUST AS YOU STATED , DOES ARE BETTER EATING AND YOU CAN'T EAT HORNS !! HERE WHERE I LIVE , YOU CAN SHOOT 5 DEER , BUT ONLY 1 CAN BE A BUCK , SO I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT TO SHUT DOWN BUCK SEASON FOR 2 YRS AND GET THE BALANCE BACK IN THE HERD AND ALSO PRODUCE BIGGER BUCKS !! 
