When/If should you harvest does,

[drwarner]

I shoot them as early as I can. Two reasons. Less does during the rut and less deer eating my corn.

 

[weav199]

I'll go for a doe everytime, unless a bigger rack walks by than the 14 pnt I have on the wall now. They're better tasting meat. Doesn't have the heavy game flavor of bucks.

 

[jalapeno]

ok so I have been on big leases that practiced some level of management but the property I hunt on now is smaller with fewer people hunting. unless you have full control over the entire area that you hunt and the surrounding areas any type of management process you put in place can be totally negated by your hunting neighbor if he/she is not practicing the same managment process. seen it happen. one lease implements 4 point or better rule next lease over says its brown its down well you can see where this is going. the guys I hunt with now we have a standing agreement we will not shoot a doe before rifle season. then its game on. I should say though that we are meat hunters first and antler hunters second.

 

[EFsDad]

Since I pay to have mine processed, I shoot at big does. It brings my price per pound down as the meat market charges a flat rate.

Good luck!

 

[The German]

the guys I hunt with now we have a standing agreement we will not shoot a doe before rifle season. then its game on. I should say though that we are meat hunters first and antler hunters second.

So you let half the season pass before doing what you do first?

 

[jalapeno]

So you let half the season pass before doing what you do first?

not saying this should be done everywhere it just seems to work on the land we are hunting. if we leave the does alone we tend to see more bucks during the rut. there is no rule against shooting a doe we just wait to see what shows up. if we shoot does early in the season we dont see much later during the rut. dont get me wrong every one of use would love to have a wall hanger but we are not strictly horn hunters. if a doe shows up on youth weekend we let the kids take one if we are bow hunting and only seeing does we might shoot one. but on our little piece of land the does seem to bring in the bucks and each property being different you have to do what works for you.