mistaken doe

[blarkey]

how many of you guys have shot what you thought was a doe and when you recovered it had big spikes on it and had to use your only buck tag on it.

[Neighbor_guy]

It happens. If you are woried about it happening you have to look at your critter really good. It is part of the "know your target" part of hunting.

I will say this.... I have no sympathy for anyone who shoots a spike when they thought they were shooting a doe. You did not know what you were shooting when you shot it. Now you are paying the price.

[mnguy152]

I understand it can happened ,but when you are out driving deer and shooting everything that is brown that is running at a thousand miles a hour. I don't feel sorry or bad for you at all for it is called hunting not driveing and chasing deer

[tunrevir]

I shot a spike at waning hours of shooting light a couple years ago thinking it was a big doe. This year I had a fork come in and I was sure it was a single doe and was at full draw but realized at 10 yards it was a fork and let him walk. I watched this deer come in from about 60 yards out. Sometimes the ears can hide those little racks pretty well. Sometimes the horns are pretty obvious and other times they are camoflouged pretty well.

Tunrevir~

[SKIPPERS KID]

You really hit a nerve now I did just that last year. I was out to shoot a doe and was in a great doe stand and it was getting late and it gave me a great 30 yard shot it went 10 yards. I was happy no tracking, when I walked up to it it was a small 3 pointer and the horns do not go post the ears. Well yes I was sick but I tagged it and said I will never shoot another deer like that again I must see the hole head like make sure there are no spikes on that head again.

Well there is always next year and a good lesson for all.

[archerystud]

I did it a couple of weeks ago in WI. It was 60 yards and walking through the brush. I had a good shot and good opening, I just couldn't see the 3.5 inch antlers at that distance.

I thought I was getting someone else their EAB sticker, instead I was burning mine.

[kr8r.tom]

the brown it's down crew won't answer this question because they like the "gee i wonder what i just killed", as they walk over to their brown deer.

[picksbigwagon]

My buddy shot a a Huge DOH this year, 3 pointer on one side, a little nubbin on the other side. He was sure it was a doe since it was being tailed by two smaller bucks with their nose down, he never got a solid straight on look, just a side view.

We were hunting in an intensive harvest area so he was more bummed he burned his buck tag, but it took that nubbin buck out of the gene pool. The right side of the rack was just a little nubbin, about and inch across and barely above the skin. the other side was a decent 3 points, no brow tines however

[Scott Stein]

now what would you do if you shot a buck that had already lost his antlers? my dad was out bowhuntin one night a few yrs back and seen this what looked to be a doe coming at him but was grunting walked under his tree and had 2 red holes in his head!! and 3 days later my uncle found a set of antlers by the grain bins!

[archerystud]

If I know its a buck and it's late season, then I let it go. A couple of years ago I passed on a 4 pointer who was outside the ears. His left antler was completely missing and he was a mature buck and here I have him at 10 yards. My theory was that if I won't put the antlers on the wall then I don't shoot them (with the exception being the mistaken identity I described above).

[mrklean]

i shot a one pointer the other year, thought it was a doe about 35 yards stopped didnt see the spike was covered up by the ear, walked up thought it was a big doe, NOPE and it was barley over the 3 inch mark so it was a legal buck.

[Gordie]

I did it last year on opening day doe came wihin 60 yrds and I watched for 20min tring to see antlers well with a couple of bounus tags in my pocket it was a go. when I walked up on it I seen it was a spikie I have never made this mistake before and hope never to do it again. all I can say is that it was really tastey and dont regret it one bit.

[schmoe147]

I always know my target, so I can say that has never happend to me.

[96trigger]

2 years ago, the same thing happened as Mr. Clean. Never saw the antler behind the ear, only had one point sticking up, couldn't see it. Looked just like a doe walking through the woods.

[jigglestick]

that's an interesting scenario archery stud..what if you hadn't had your eab tag yet, then what?

[Pickelfarmer]

i shot a one pointer the other year, thought it was a doe about 35 yards stopped didnt see the spike was covered up by the ear, walked up thought it was a big doe, NOPE and it was barley over the 3 inch mark so it was a legal buck.

When I was younger I shot a fork with my bow one evening in good light and I thought it was a doe. I had a guy I hunted with all the time and I told him I shot a really nice doe (I was 15 at the time) and I needed help tracking it. He was the first one to the deer as it ran about 150 yards from where I shot it and he tracked in front of me. He asked me as I walked up behind him, "I thought you said you shot a doe"? I said, "I did shoot a doe". Well come to find out it was a fork. I even went as far as to say it wasn't my deer LOL. Of course it was but to this day I picture that deer coming in and I watched it for a long time. I never seen horns. Those ears can hide horns. though I've made sure it hasn't happened again.

[Dirtyb25]

I use open sites for both rifle and muzzleloader (obviously for muzzie due to legal reasons). I had this happen rifle season in '05. I took a shot much longer than I should have with the rifle I had, but I still hit right where I had hoped to. The distance at which I shot there would have been really no way to see horns without binocs, which I still haven't purchased (been on the to buy list since).

Unfortunately, it was a small spike instead of an ok doe. I'm more of a meat hunter, so it didn't really bother that I burned my tag, but it did bother me that I didn't know I was shooting at a buck instead of a doe.

[snoozebutton]

About 5 years ago I saw a fawn with a doe right behind it, last 10 minutes of shooting light so I let fly. Found her after about an hour of tracking and discovered he was a she. Like Picklefarmer said, I thought it was someone elses deer. But since he was still warm and I was the only one in the area, it was mine. This was a week or so before the rut and the only thing I could think of is they were family members. Used up my buck tag and went fishing the rest of the season.

[archerystud]

jigglestick,

I don't know. Fortunately for me I had my EAB so I didn't have to worry about the what if.

[Jameson]

Thought he was as she. Saw him standing broadside to me. I was on the ground. The full spike was away from me, at least partially covered by the ears. Brush in the background also helped camouflage the antler.

[blarkey]

I'm glad that it happens to others also it did [PoorWordUsage] me off to use my buck tag but it also tasted really good also something to live and learn.

[mrklean]

i guess live and learn???? Now i really make sure its not a spike but who knows could happen again

[DuckDog]

now what would you do if you shot a buck that had already lost his antlers? my dad was out bowhuntin one night a few yrs back and seen this what looked to be a doe coming at him but was grunting walked under his tree and had 2 red holes in his head!! and 3 days later my uncle found a set of antlers by the grain bins!

I believe that state license says an "anterless" deer, and thus would qualify as such.

[bigbucks]

I've shot two bucks that I thought were does. Both were running during slug season. Both were opening day & we had a large party where tags weren't an issue. Neither of them were the result of drives. The first one a doe came through & I shot at her, she took off running & I thought I'd missed. Then this what looked like a yearling doe came running in behind it & I dropped it, much tougher shot then the doe, only to then see the doe laying about 30 yards in front of "her" in the brush. We all had 5 tags, but I was really surprised to find out the yearling doe was a small 6 pointer. He had a white rack which matched the snow & the background was all brush. He was much smaller than the doe. The other one was an even smaller racked 6 pointer who came running by me at about 25 yards & I had about a 3' opening in the brush to shoot through, the ears were up & hid the horns. He cut into the brush right in front of me & collapsed in plain site where I then could clearly see his rack.

After those two, I'm really picky about what I shoot at, as I've decided not to shoot small bucks, unless we've not had any luck. I let a spike with 2-3" antlers walk by at about 60 yards this year. It was built like a doe, looked like a doe, & I could only see those little pencil stubs when he turned away from me. I was within a second of shooting a doe at < 10 yards once with my bow, when I saw the short spike on one side hiding behind his ear, the other was broken off. It can be very tough to tell & honest mistakes can be made very easily.

[Mark Christianson]

I agree with some of the comments regarding, "knowing your target"; but this can be a tough one at times.

I think shooting a yearling buck by accident, is a far cry from shooting someones horse, dog, etc.

I believe all "know" the target. The target is a deer. Most make very concious efforts to determine whether its a buck or doe. And something with 5 inch antlers hiding behind ears or whatever is a tough thing to determine at times.