I have never really started managing a heard until this year. Does anyone have any good reading or tips/info on when and if you should take does for management?
BW
BW
I use them to manage my hunger!
How many acres are you trying to manage? Are you seeing a lot of different does?
How many acres are you trying to manage? Are you seeing a lot of different does?
I've heard a few schools of though on doe management.
Some guys like to shoot as many as they can as early as they can to get the buck:doe ratio up. Makes for beter rut activity cause the competition it higher.
Others thinks you should wait til after the rut cause they want as many doe around to bring bucks in during the rut. That doe you killed early with a bow could have walked buy your stand with a big buck chase'n come Nov type thing.
Me I just shoot a doe if I'm bored, unless you have tons of tags (depredation stuff/DMAP) then you will never kill enough doe in an area to be affective in "management."
A good rule of thumb is, if you kill a buck that year just kill at least one doe in the same area. Two doe would be even better.
Some guys like to shoot as many as they can as early as they can to get the buck:doe ratio up. Makes for beter rut activity cause the competition it higher.
Others thinks you should wait til after the rut cause they want as many doe around to bring bucks in during the rut. That doe you killed early with a bow could have walked buy your stand with a big buck chase'n come Nov type thing.
Me I just shoot a doe if I'm bored, unless you have tons of tags (depredation stuff/DMAP) then you will never kill enough doe in an area to be affective in "management."
A good rule of thumb is, if you kill a buck that year just kill at least one doe in the same area. Two doe would be even better.
There is no clear right answer. Look at any academia literature and you will get a different answer in regards to shooting does, spikes, etc. Yes, I think it is TX where the Aggy folk think you should shoot spikes to better manage a herd. In my opinion, alwasy shoot a handfull of does.
For the area that I hunt the most, I tend to go by this thinking. The terrain is flat, a road at every mile and timber/tall grass cover is limited. With that said, the number of deer per acre is still extremely high. My guess is that all most of of the doe that are there in October, will still be there in December and January, if there is little to disturb them. I have a hard time wanting to take a doe as they walk by in October and November, with the off chance that all of my instrusion by tracking, loading and retieving a doe will alert a mature buck to my presence. The only exception to that would be my daughter shooting whatever she wants when she gets the chance to go. I've never had any trouble taking my limit of does in December and January, I'd definately much rather take a deer in the cold weather than during the early October heat as well. I'll be the first to admit, I'm pretty much hunting antlers until mid December, slinging arrows like crazy after that.
There is a method to determine how many does should be taken. Its not an exact science, and is controlled by the enviroment, weather, etc.
I hunt on a DMAP. Every September, a spotlight survey is taken by landowners/Game wardens. They drive a designated area and check the fields to see how many deer on on it, and if they are doe/fawn/buck...
Using the information gained, the ODW game biologist will determine the number of does that need to be taken, with the goal being one to one. The land owner gets a book to register the deer and tags to check them in. This process may take several years, as they approach this carefully.
If its one to one, the buck roam everywhere looking for does. If its skewed like it is in my area with 40 some does to buck ratio, the bucks rarely have to move to find more does, so its detrimental to the hunter if they are looking to shoot a buck.
In the eastern part of the state, its heavily wooded, so DMAP is not seen much in that area. In the NC to western parts of the state, its open and covered in agriculture, so they can be spotted easily.
Hopes this helps.
I hunt on a DMAP. Every September, a spotlight survey is taken by landowners/Game wardens. They drive a designated area and check the fields to see how many deer on on it, and if they are doe/fawn/buck...
Using the information gained, the ODW game biologist will determine the number of does that need to be taken, with the goal being one to one. The land owner gets a book to register the deer and tags to check them in. This process may take several years, as they approach this carefully.
If its one to one, the buck roam everywhere looking for does. If its skewed like it is in my area with 40 some does to buck ratio, the bucks rarely have to move to find more does, so its detrimental to the hunter if they are looking to shoot a buck.
In the eastern part of the state, its heavily wooded, so DMAP is not seen much in that area. In the NC to western parts of the state, its open and covered in agriculture, so they can be spotted easily.
Hopes this helps.
exactly what okie 4570 and if you do'nt have a bow most countys have holiday doe hunts in dec,and i am begging everyone unless you are a first time hunter and hav'nt ever killed a buck.When you see a 1 1/2 yr buck let him walk a doe will eat just as good
Like Dennis said, it's not an exact science. I have never killed a doe on the property I hunt and don't plan on it. It is not uncommon to see several bucks in one day and if I'm lucky I might see one doe. Don't guess I've ever hunted a place with as few does as this property. When the rut is in full swing you can sometimes see 2 or 3 bucks chasing one doe. I figure if I would kill her then the bucks would be in another section looking for a doe.
I wait till december to kill does. You don't have to rush things when its cold. If you kill one early in the season, it seems that its so hot that you are scrambling to get it gutted and on ice. Every year in the off season I always say i'm going to shoot my limit in does and never do. Guess i'm just getting old and lazy. Old saying I was taught when shooting bucks;"make sure its a good one, because once you shoot your load, you got nothing but a big mess on your hands."
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