SHOOTING DOES

[moosehunter]

What is everyones strategy when you want to harvest does?

I want to harvest does but not mess up a hunt for a buck either so I was thinking this is the way I would go about it. A doe comes by and is an easy shot, so I take it. Now I want to finish my hunt before I go recover the doe. With a bow I don't think it should upset anything to bad assuming there are no bucks in the immediate area. (at least for that day). What do others do??

 

[emmasdad]

Your absolutely right. Last year I shot a doe early. Ten minutes later a buck came cruising through and I shot him also. A buddy of mine did the same thing a couple of years ago.

 

[River1]

I don't worry about messing up a buck. I will recover the doe at the end of my hunt as long as I know it is an easy recovery and I have another tag to fill. If not, I wait an hour and start my tracking. Last year all of the does I shot went down in sight. I remained on stand each of those days until shooting hours closed. One of them went down only 5 yards off of the trail I was hunting on and the next deer that came through spooked when they seen her. Something to consider. I suppose an old buck would take exception to the disturbance of field dressing and dragging out, but harvesting a deer is one of the reasons I'm in the timber. I don't worry about much when I'm wrapping my tag.

 

[HUSKERBUCK]

My strategy on filling my antlerless tag is simple. When my son is with me we sit in one specific stand that holds us both and that is when I am doe hunting. He was with me last year when I harvested my doe and he loved every minute of it.

 

[Kat]

My strategy is to try to fill my doe tag well before the pre-rut so I can concentrate on the big boys then.

 

[muddy]

i'll fill a doe tag anytime i get a shot, just so happened that i shot my antlerless deer the first an then the last weeks of bow season last year.

 

[Rackaddict]

I'll shoot a doe anytime I get a chance and have a tag. There are too many of them around and they need to be thinned in a bad way.

Now, if I can only convince the Iowa DNR to throw in a doe tag with my Buck tag I'd be more than happy to fill it too.

 

[203ntyp]

Take the first oportunity you get at a mature doe. Last year I did just that, she went 20 yards and piled up. A few seconds later a huge buck came on her trail, walked up to her, gave her a good sniff in her sweet spot & came back to where I shot her so I shot him too. That's the easy way but how often can that happen?

 

[Liv4Rut]

Usually I try to get them out of the way before I plan on buck hunting. I always save a tag in case I do shoot a buck early then I can still go out and videotape with buddies and stuff and have a tag in my pocket. When I hunt does, im usually in a totally different area then when i hunt bucks. Some spots are just awesome doe spots in the early season

 

[Super7]

I shoot them when I get the chance. If the buck is close enough to be spooked by the shot I think you could see him also. I have shot many deer (50+), I would say, where another deer has come along within minutes to even hours after the shot and was able to kill a second or watch them go on past without being disturbed.

 

[Guest]

Doe when I get the chance and there will be many.If there is enough time to wait for the big boy I will sit and wait.So many does,how can you pass it up if he(big horns)hasn't given you the shot yet.

 

[Dbl.throat_patch]

i will pretty much take a shot at a doe any chance i get if i have a tag, i usually try to hold one doe tag for a yearling doe. that is some of the best table fair there is.

 

[randyrutt]

Back several years ago- after shooting a buck while walking over to get him another buck walked right upon me-
maybe he came over to see what all the noise was about?

 

[Limb Chicken]

Great thread! Whack em and stack em. There is a lot of season. Usually am going to get them out of the way and this year I plan on taking as many as I can...