How many have shot yearlings accidently?

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But as far as herd management goes,on private land where the age structure of the bucks harvested can be managed, age structure of the does does'nt matter.



We may have to agree to disagree on this one.

If you are harvesting enough does to keep the sex ratio where you want it, I don't think you can do that by only shooting fawn and yearling does. If you could, you would eventually end up with a very old doe herd that would just die off.

I don't think you can ever say the age stucture of either bucks or does, "doesn't matter".

Hunter always want to do "buck management" by culling or whatever you want to call it. But, does contribute 50% of the DNA to the offspring. If you never "turn the doe herd over", you don't know what your "good" buck is breeding.

If a rancher always sold off his calves and because he didn't want to get rid of a producing cow, at some point he would have crashing herd.
 
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If you are harvesting enough does to keep the sex ratio where you want it, I don't think you can do that by only shooting fawn and yearling does. If you could, you would eventually end up with a very old doe herd that would just die off.

I don't think you can ever say the age stucture of either bucks or does, "doesn't matter".


Sorry, that did'nt come out right /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif You're right, age structure does matter, The point I was trying to make was, on a place where you can actually MANAGE a deer herd, you can pretty well "balance" the age structure and buck to doe ratio however you want it because the harvest is for the most part controlled. It does'nt matter if the buck fawns are raised by yearling does or 5 yr old does. You will have big bucks simply because you don't shoot little bucks, right? In my neck of the woods most guys who shoot does for meat, take the biggest ones because they pay to have it processed. $75-$80 whether it weighs 60# or 130#. Can't blame'm there huh? So at this time of year you see lots of young does with "fawns" almost as big as they are. And lots of "yearling" bucks that just don't have a clue because they were raised by one of these young does. They will most likely die young. Does that make sense?
 
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Camo,
Sounds like a good time to teach about idenifying ages of deer. Making it a learning experience would be the best thing to do. I have taken 40 + deer and 1/3 I bet were fawn does. I really focus on the head now to make sure it isn't a button. If you spare that button he may end up on your wall in 4 or 5 years, but he won't if you take him now.

Good job to you and your son.
Enjoy the best red meat out there!

KH
 
Ok, here is what I do.

Deer..... to fill my antlerless tag I shoot a barren doe. I know the deer that hang around our place so well that I can pick them out.

Elk...if I have a cow permit, I always seek out a calf, nothing better for eating /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
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A deer is a deer when shot for meat



Unless you are paying to have it processed. Every year I see the guys bringing in the fawns that weigh 40-50 pounds dressed. I even had one come int that was 36 pounds dressed once.

It costs the same to have the 40 pounder processed as it does the 140 pounder, you just get a whole lot less meat for your money.



There are a couple of processing plants in the Kerrville area of Texas that will charge you .70 cents a pound to process if you bring in the deer skinned and quartered. Makes it a little more economical to bust the smaller ones. Anyway, why would you take a little one to be processed? Seems to me that size would be a perfect tool for teaching your kids or signifigant other how to process the animal without having it turn into a long drawn out process.
Trashcan
DCC
 
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It does'nt matter if the buck fawns are raised by yearling does or 5 yr old does



It isn't often that a yearling (1.5 year old) doe will have a fawn. If they do, that means that she was bred as a fawn. It happens, but is a very low percentage.

Greg- How do pick out the barren doe? Just one that does not have a fawn at heal? Research has a shown does to still produce fawns at 20 years of age in pen situation at least. Most deer won't live anywhere near that long in the wild, so "barren doe" is often a misnomer.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/hunt/planning/rut_whitetailed_deer/

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In some Texas circles, you still hear people talk about the "old barren doe" that lives in a certain pasture. This train of thought blames poor fawn production on the idea that many older does do not get pregnant. In reality, if the doe isn't bred during the first estrous period, she will be receptive again in 28 days. This explains the high breeding success in white-tailed deer even when bucks are scarce. We found that on the average, 92 of every 100 does sampled in the state were pregnant.




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There are a couple of processing plants in the Kerrville area of Texas that will charge you .70 cents a pound to process if you bring in the deer skinned and quartered. Makes it a little more economical to bust the smaller ones. Anyway, why would you take a little one to be processed? Seems to me that size would be a perfect tool for teaching your kids or signifigant other how to process the animal without having it turn into a long drawn out process.




I'm sure a lot of them do process their own, but when I am checking processing facilities, I still see a lot of fawns brought in for processing. A lot of people either don't know how, are too lazy, or have too much money to do their own.

I have seen a lot deer processed that dress 40 pounds, cost $75 and won't produce a good shoe box full of wrapped meat. Then when they come to pick it up, they say "Is that all of it?" And will swear that the processor stole some of their meat. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif

Most the processors around hear charge by the head. A deer quartered up in an ice chest will save you the price of skinning which is anywhere from $10-$25 extra.

You may or may not be surprised how many I have seen brought in with the guts still them.
 
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I don't ask for i.d. before I shoot
If you want to eat it smaller is better...
I sometimes pass on bigger does and seek out the small ones in a group for just that reason no need to feel bad
 
I tend to follow the if its brown its down rule I belive the last 5 or 6 were fawns, I just figure its easier to drag, lift, and cut up the little ones so I just keep shoting them
 
I always try to shoot the medium to large does. They are the ones that usually spot me in the tree.

I always try and gauge by the distance between the noes and eyes.
 
in my camp we do shoot adult does, mostly in early archery season and most of the antlerless in gun season are yearlings or fawns.
 
I also like one small one a year,
I am one of the guys that think we here in PA should have a fawn season.
As for mistakenly shooting small deer, I think that geographical area & hunting situation can be a factor on mistakenly shooting small deer. if you sitting at a feeder,
or have all day to glass a deer you can tell small deer from larger deer. but if your hunting a swamp or a place that's all hard woods and have a lone deer in front of ya i find it hard to tell a 65 lb fawn from a 100 lb yearling, especially if the hunter is elevated in a stand I find that this is the hardest time to judge.
So yes I feel that it could happen to anyone So camo tell you kid congrats from me , /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
As for paying 70 dollars to have the small deer processed, that's what a guy dose when he don't have the time or the place or the knowledge to do the deer him or her self.. in today's times there are the hunters that drive up right after work on Friday night so they can hunt Saturday then they have to make a drive home on Sunday and be at work on Monday do with there deer, I call them guy everyday hunter's and think they are what's keeping are sport alive.

AND BIG ANTLERS MAKE THIN SOUP!!!!!!
 
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I have been fortunate enough not to have shot a fawn. I scope out the target first, especially if they are by themselves, and look to make sure that they are not fawns. Just my personel preference.
 
I quit shooting fawns a while back the ones I did shoot were all male.....But I enjoy shooting a large mature doe....115lb. is my biggest so far.....
 
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Fortunate?Have you ever tasted a "fawn"?



Yes I do consider myself fortunate. And yes I have tasted fawn before. I just think that too many people don't take the time to identify their target before shooting and use the excuse of "they taste better" as an excuse for poor judgement or lack thereof.
 
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Yes I do consider myself fortunate. And yes I have tasted fawn before. I just think that too many people don't take the time to identify their target before shooting and use the excuse of "they taste better" as an excuse for poor judgement or lack thereof.



I guess these are the people who will say they have shot yearlings (or fawns) accidently. Myself, I don't ever remember killing anything "accidently". Positively identifying your target before pulling the trigger or releasing the arrow is the responsibility of the hunter. So there-fore IMO it would not be considered an accident.
 
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Fortunate?Have you ever tasted a "fawn"?



Yes I do consider myself fortunate. And yes I have tasted fawn before. I just think that too many people don't take the time to identify their target before shooting and use the excuse of "they taste better" as an excuse for poor judgement or lack thereof.



I indentify my target to make sure it's a deer then make sure it's legal. If it's an either sex day it goes in the freezer, I never have time to ask for their ID to check their age. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
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Fortunate?Have you ever tasted a "fawn"?



Yes I do consider myself fortunate. And yes I have tasted fawn before. I just think that too many people don't take the time to identify their target before shooting and use the excuse of "they taste better" as an excuse for poor judgement or lack thereof.



Really?I Identify the tastiest little "fawn" in the herd when I pull the trigger on an antlerless tag.If I shoot an old toothless doe then you can acuse me of "failing to identify" my target,until then I suggest you drop the poor attitude,some of us shoot "fawns" and yearlings on purpose,despite what you think.
 
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Really?I Identify the tastiest little "fawn" in the herd when I pull the trigger on an antlerless tag.If I shoot an old toothless doe then you can acuse me of "failing to identify" my target,until then I suggest you drop the poor attitude,some of us shoot "fawns" and yearlings on purpose,despite what you think.


/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gifMy sentiments exactly
 
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