Conflicting question......

[Keeter]

With the limited deer activity so far in the season I was thinking about what I would do if the first deer on stand that I saw was a small buck during the closing hours of season. I love venison but also believe in letting the young ones grow....that alone causes internal conflict with me. I am just curious to see what you guys would do. If you practice QDM but love venison....what would you do?

[Coldfeet]

I buy an All-Season liscense and try again during the Muzzleloader season.

[c&amagn]

I passed up 3 does with aobut 4 fawns with them on opener w-end, I then passed up 3-more fawns the second w-end in Zone-2, there were 3 of us in our hunting party this year and we all strongly believe in QDM and we all got blanked this year. Needeless to say I will be buying the all season license next year and dust the Bow off and take a nice doe or two next year, If I was starving or grew up in the 1940's way up North when they shot deer for food and the dinner table, I would have taken all the fawns to fill our tags up. That's just my personal choice and I don't knock people who think differently too. Just remember all the shooting a person heard within hearing distance is the distance of all the deer in your area of a deer's range of 1-10-15 miles or so, just hope some spikes and fawns got spared for the years to come. Just my 2-cents.

[BigWadeS]

I would pull the trigger on the small buck, oh wait, I already did this year...venision is much better when you have a young tender deer...IMO...

[BLACKJACK]

Vension chops are much better than tag soup!! I'd shoot him.

[eyepatrol]

Go with your gut feeling.

Personally, if it were my first year of bow hunting (which will be next year for me), I'd take it if it was the last day. If it were gun , I'd let it go.

[almostthere!]

Quote:

---

I passed up 3 does with aobut 4 fawns with them on opener w-end, I then passed up 3-more fawns the second w-end in Zone-2, there were 3 of us in our hunting party this year and we all strongly believe in QDM and we all got blanked this year. Needeless to say I will be buying the all season license next year and dust the Bow off and take a nice doe or two next year, If I was starving or grew up in the 1940's way up North when they shot deer for food and the dinner table, I would have taken all the fawns to fill our tags up. That's just my personal choice and I don't knock people who think differently too. Just remember all the shooting a person heard within hearing distance is the distance of all the deer in your area of a deer's range of 1-10-15 miles or so, just hope some spikes and fawns got spared for the years to come. Just my 2-cents.

---

Actually, if you were really practicing QDM, you would have taken a few does and fawns. QDM is quality deer management, and you can not have quality deer management if you don't take out some does/fawns.

[almostthere!]

Keeter,

Taking one or two small buck is still a part of QDM. QDM means keeping a healthy buck to doe ratio and culling enough deer so the environment can sustain the population.

Shoot and don't think twice if it is the only deer you see on the last day of hunting. With the lack of deer movement in your area, there are lots of deer not being shot. Therefore, it is mandated by QDM that you have to shoot that small buck. However, if you are practising BBM (Big Buck Management) and not QDM, then it would be wrong of you to shoot small bucks.

[c&amagn]

"almostthere", we took 3 does and two nice bucks the year before. It's a person's personal choice what to take and when. One buck can breed a lot of does, I guess our QDM is working in our area when in the 15-years of hunting with our party we have taken 22-bucks with nothing under 8-points, we will have a new hunter next year in our party, "first timer deer hunting" and we will all be proud if he takes doe/fawn for his first deer. I guess if we start seeing less and less deear around we might have to rethink our QDM personal rules in our camp and if it's brown it's down and and see were that takes us the next 15-years.

[almostthere!]

c&amagn,

It is a personal choice when it comes to picking and shooting deer. However, if you run QDM into the equation, there is a certain amount a bucks and a certain amount of does that you have to take out of the herd.

Our hunting area had the worst antlers on the planet. That was 3 years ago. We culled a whole bunch of deer (bucks, does, and fawns) and this year we took two of best sets of antlers we have ever seen. The problem was there was too many deer for the environment to support.

QDM does not change. What changes is the amount and sex of deer killed each year.

[Keeter]

It definitely is up to the shooter. This brings up a good conversation though. If you had the chance to do it absolutely right...what would you want, to see deer everytime out...no matter what they were...or to see fewer deer and see mature animals when you do. It seems like everyone has their own opinions and what they want out of their herd.

[almostthere!]

Keeter,

If you are in a good spot and the deer herd is healthy, then yes you should expect to see at least one deer everytime: notice I said deer and not mature buck.

I eat what I kill and therefore I value each and every deer I take the same: all are trophies for me. However, if I am going to strive for a "head-on-the-wall" trophy, I would appreciate a buck from a land of very few mature bucks more than a buck from a litter of mature bucks milling around my treestand (like in some of the hunting shows taped in game farms). Now that is a "head-on-the-wall" I can be proud of.

[Guest]

So what if you decide NOT to pull the trigger on the young buck, only to have him go down the trail to get dropped by someone who loves venison even more then you do?

[Keeter]

webwarrior, isn't that the truth!! Although, the only one out there that loves venison more than me has four legs and is going to get shot if he walks past my stand too!!

[HuskerBen]

I, personally, have no problem with shooting a button buck or a young doe. Even on opening day. They taste better, and I hunt for venison. Not that I'd pass on a big buck, but I prefer young deer on the table.

I read an article some time back (I wish I could remember where so I could quote it) about shooting fawns. The main point that it made was that whitetails have a pretty high mortality rate during their first winter. In most areas, does have twins, and the study found that usually, one of the twins dies within its first year. Of course, there are exceptions, especially during mild winters, etc., but I'd rather see that fawn on a plate than dead in the field.

Ben

[Guest]

Keeter,

I;ve seen it happen.. I'd sit in my stand, go all day and see nothing then wham! a 4 pointer walks by, I pass up the shot, only for him to get shot 100 yards later.. DOH!@ haha

[fishermn]

Get into archery so ya can start in mid-september and have a couple does in the freezer by the opener of rifle season!!

[Keeter]

You aren't alone on that one warrior!! I had read an article in Deer and Deer Hunting mag that had said 92% of 6 month old fawns are bred. Not sure where they got that figure but I'll go with it. Anyway, the point of the article is that a fawn is a deer and will be bred and if you shoot one by the time you gut it and drag it the twin will be bred anyway.