Shooting does with fawns

[WhitetailAddict11]

I had a doe with her twins at 25 yards the other night but just couldnt bring myself to shoot her. I'm a hunter of whitetails but I'm compassionate for them as well. Shooting her during the course of her motherly duties as mother nature intended just didnt seem right to me. In fact I have always passed does with their fawns. What do you guys prefer to do.

[burmjohn]

I prefer to let them walk if they are with fawns, but to each his own.

[Meat Manager]

If I have tags and no meat in the freezer its down, maybe two of em if one comes back to see whats up.

[jr.deerslayer]

Personally I would not feel right knowingly doing it, if the fawns are with her.

[joe12]

i always give the momma a pass. It stinks though because usually the mothers are huge!

[Sogaard]

It depends on show small the fawns are. If I'm sure they will be fine on their own, I'd take the shot. The mother's will be wanting to get rid of them soon anyway so they can mate again. This assumes I have no meat for the year. If I already have meat in the freezer, I'd probably give her a pass.

[SteveB]

If you shoot does, you will shoot one with fawns whether you see them or not.

Very few does are true dry unless they lost them to cars, predators etc.

They are fine by now - they hook up with another group.

So yes, I do.

[WNY Bowhunter]

I shot a doe with twin button-bucks last night. The fawns are perfectly capable of surving on their own now with most being around 4 months old. Biologist agree that at 90-100 days old a fawn is now considered "a deer" with a fully formed digestive tract and a diet identical to that of an adult deer. Her milk was all dried up. This may seem a bit cold-hearted but the truth is a fawn is nothing like a human child...nature designed them to grow up quickly in a hostile world...they will get along just fine without their mothers's guidance at this stage in their lives. After all, how many lone button bucks do you see wandering around by themselves during bow season...lots of 'em!!!

Edited October 2, 2012 by WNY Bowhunter

[WNYBuckHunter]

Im with many others in that I have no issues with taking does, fawns with them or not. They are fine to be on their own at this time of the year, it wont be long till the older does are giving them the boot so they can mate anyways.

[meatmuzzy]

Ditto to what WNY said. I will always take a mature doe if given the shot. Fawns or no fawns.

[jonathon88]

i always give the momma and her fawns a pass . i do not have the heart to shoot the mother with her fawns . i also could never ever shoot a fawn. there are plenty of deer in the woods to be harvested.if one knows what they are doing.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Well, one of the areas I hunt is overrun with does. The one I took last night was the 12th one to go by my stand in less than 1/2 hour. Ill be back in there for another one this weekend.

[WhitetailAddict11]

I guess my biggest thing was that the fawns were a button and a little girl and she was constantly licking momma and nuzzling her nose so she was definitely tugging the strings on my heart lol. They were awfully cute, im not afraid to admit it. I agree with all though, im sure they probably would have been fine, but they looked like late births to me.

[Cabin Fever]

I had a fawn come by me twice yesterday morning, shortly after first light, all by itself. It was bleating the entire time! Felt bad for it. I assumed the neighbor may have used momma to fill one of his DMAP tags recently or something. Being as inexperienced as this fawn is, it'll either end up in someones freezer this fall or a coyote will probably get it.

[First-light]

I had a fawn come by me twice yesterday morning, shortly after first light, all by itself. It was bleating the entire time! Felt bad for it. I assumed the neighbor may have used momma to fill one of his DMAP tags recently or something. Being as inexperienced as this fawn is, it'll either end up in someones freezer this fall or a coyote will probably get it.

Yea, a motherless button buck is probably the tamest deer in the woods. Had twins that were orphaned a few years ago watch me get into my stand and then come over not more than 10 yards away to check me out.

They hung around for an hour.

[sits in trees]

shooting mothers isnt as horrible as it sounds, the youngins make their way just fine. they are 5 - 6 months at that time. heck ive even shot some of the youngins also, oohhh i also eat veal and cornish game hens, spring lamb, and suckling pig. so im well on my way to hell anyway....lol.

[Geno C]

i have shot about 3 very big mature doe who had either 1 or 2 yearlings. they will be fine... they link up with another doe and get taken in.

[ants]

When I was in my teens I shot a big doe that had two little ones with her. They wouldn't leave. The whole time I was dressing her out they just hung around, close. I even chased them off a couple times, but they came back. The doe still had milk in her. Since then I give them a pass, but like I've said before, it's your tag fill it the way you want to.

[Doewhacker]

Shooting doe's is very important to the deer herd and making sure over population doesn't occur, and they are deliscious.

[Tail_Hnt]

Hunted out of a stand a few years back where my hunting partner took a doe the day before. The doe had a fawn with her which ran off after the shot.

Right at sundown I hear this horrible screaming, which sounded like a human baby. It was the fawn coming back, looking for momma, distress calling all the way. Nonstop for about half an hour as it wandered around the woods. It was really hard to sit there and not feel bad watching and listening to this clueless fawn wondering where momma had gone.

I didn't have the heart to shoot does with fawns before that. After telling my buddy, neither did he.

[ants]

When I was in my teens I shot a big doe that had two little ones with her. They wouldn't leave. The whole time I was dressing her out they just hung around, close. I even chased them off a couple times, but they came back. The doe still had milk in her. Since then I give them a pass, but like I've said before, it's your tag fill it the way you want to.

[Doc]

This is a tough subject. Like SteveB said, if you shoot any doe, the odds are pretty good that you have shot a mother of a fawn or two. Also as has been mentioned, it is a necessity in order to control deer populations. There simply is no other way of doing it. But I have to admit that after a summer of photographing and watching does and fawns, you do get a sort of attachment and concern for them.

However, let little sons-of-britches eat another shrub or mow down more expensive plantings, or mess with my fruit trees and I not only shoot the mother but wipe out the fawn too .... lol.

[A Sportsman]

I once shot a doe during bow season that was with a fawn. The doe went down almost within view. From the time I shot, till the time I was standing over the doe, the fawn just kinda hung around. It was like it didnt even know what to do next. It left me with a bad feeling. I know doesnt sound great, but given the option between a doe and a fawn (assuming they are together), i'd rather take the fawn.

[Deerthug]

Had the opportunity to take two doe yesterday afternoon but both had twin fawns. Let them both pass. Enjoyed watching them. Kept telling them to go get their daddy! LOL

[Kot2B]

I passed on a doe yesterday at full draw when I saw the lil one just stick its head out of the brush. I feel some compassion for the doe/fawn. If the doe was by itself fine by me, we have evolved enough at this point where we don't need every deer we see to feed ourselves, but that's my opinion. If your land is overrun with doe like WNY then I can see where it's gotta be controlled and not wash the gene pool.