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Does with fawns?

H

HugeBull

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2020
Messages
46
Gents,

I had many close calls with deer in 2020, including a couple of botched shots and two lost deer. However, many of my close calls were does with fawns. I know some hunters frown on killing does with fawns and have at least one friend, an avid traditional bowhunter with his own farm, who advises, "Just shoot the fawn, it's like venison veal." (I tried his advice, which resulted in one deer lost to coyotes.) But, I have also seen that other hunters have no reservations about shooting a doe with a fawn or two.

What say you? Do you shoot does with fawns? Why or why not? I am just curious if there is a consensus . . .

Hugh
 
Weep not for the fawn but for the lamb. For the lamb is destined to die.

Do you only shoot mature squirrels or all that you see? How about dove. Age them in flight?
I bring my shotgun to bare on all fleeing rabbits not just the grown ones.

Sorry but couldn’t help myself. Like others have said shoot what makes you happy or fits your management plan.
 
I don’t begrudge those that do but I don’t. Another doe will come along at some point in the season. I don’t “need” the meat. The fawn will maybe start following other does but I’d rather think it’ll live with mom and more deer will be around as a whole. That may not happen with that doe with cars, predators, rifle season, etc but I’m ok with the choice I make.
 
The fawns have a very good chance of survival with out momma. If that wasent the case, the deer population would be zero from hunters. But like the guys said all ready. Do what your comfortable with.
Me personally I like to wait for later in the season. I believe at some point when they go into estrus the little one gets run off. But then in the northern states they all heard up anyway as it gets colder. There social animals and will still learn from other deer.
 
I shoot whatever I want and can handle appropriately given the weather and such, I try to pick a lone doe if I can tell but it’s not easy for sure, early season I fill the freezer and then get serious and hunt for horns.
 
I usually pass in bow season but if my freezer needs filled and it’s rifle season I shoot them both.
 
HugeBull said:
I had many close calls with deer in 2020, including a couple of botched shots and two lost deer.
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you might want to work on your shooting skills before shooting at smaller deer..... just saying.
 
You haven’t been hunting long enough if you haven’t made a bad shot on a deer or whatever animal your hunting.... bow season they both walk. Rifle season their both dead. Mom first then young one if it’s not smart enough to flee he area.
 
Don't shoot either of them. Leave them for me :tearsofjoy: I have never understood the "I won't shoot a fawn" mentality . I have a co-worker that is like that. Here in the northern states, which deer are going to starve to death first during a harsh winter or are going to be coyote bait? Bucks run down from the rut and fawns because they have the hardest time in deep snow and can't reach the higher browse as easily. Deer have this thing built in called instinct to survive and a fawn, by the fall, will not have a problem surviving without mama. They also are delicious, tender and they drag easier. Although I think a 1 1/2 year or older deer has more flavor. I have killed mama and baby both on several occasions with no regrets. Especially when I am frying up some back straps out on the lake while I am ice fishing in March. Better than hot dogs:grinning:
 
DroptineKrazy said:
Don't shoot either of them. Leave them for me :tearsofjoy: I have never understood the "I won't shoot a fawn" mentality . I have a co-worker that is like that. Here in the northern states, which deer are going to starve to death first during a harsh winter or are going to be coyote bait? Bucks run down from the rut and fawns because they have the hardest time in deep snow and can't reach the higher browse as easily. Deer have this thing built in called instinct to survive and a fawn, by the fall, will not have a problem surviving without mama. They also are delicious, tender and they drag easier. Although I think a 1 1/2 year or older deer has more flavor. I have killed mama and baby both on several occasions with no regrets. Especially when I am frying up some back straps out on the lake while I am ice fishing in March. Better than hot dogs:grinning:
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My info did come from a study I read but it was a long time ago in Deer & Deer Hunting or some where else. I just can't remember where cause I'm old and slightly senile :tearsofjoy:
 
If I have the time and weather to process a small Doe, I will shoot one. But most of the time I don't, and when the processor charges the same for a fawn or a 3.5yr old. I tend to hold out for something bigger.
 
I have been hunting deer for 50 years this past season. I did crop damage control on a huge farm in east NC for 15 years where if it was brown it went down. By October a fawn usually can take care of it's self as far as eating to survive goes.

You people that take deer to processers and pay out the nose to have them butchered need to learn how to do it yourself. YouTube is full of how to do it video's. As far as getting the meat off a deer I can do it in about 19 minutes from the time it is hung up and use nothing but a knife. I de-bone all the meat off and can remove even the inside tender loin without gutting one.

Usually when I kill deer they are being processed within a hour if it is hot weather. I have a portable rope pully set I carry in my truck and can do a process in the field if weather demands. If it is hot and I know that it may be a while before I can get to my processing site I will put a cooler with a couple gallon milk jugs of frozen ice in the truck. I can put the pully system over a tree limb process the meat off the deer and put it into a big garbage bag and put in the cooler.

Here is my process for the meat after off the deer.
I put the meat in a 48 qrt. cooler and cover it with cold water. I then add 1 to 2 cups of WHITE VINEGAR. The bigger the deer the more vinegar and the exact amount is not critical. I stir things around some and make sure the meat is completely covered.

I leave the cooler in a cool place with the lid open. This allows the meat to cool out and the vinegar helps draw the blood out of the meat which is the "wild taste" many people complain about. This also loosens up the meat and tenderizes it some. I leave it soak about 12 hours, which is usually over night. When at home I leave in my basement.

When I was doing most of my deer killing in east NC I was staying in my camper but had water and electricity hook up. It was in the evening and I would set the cooler shut up with the side screened side windows open in the back of my pickup truck which has a camper top over night.

After the soak. Drain the cooler. Wash the meat and cut into the pieces I want or grind into burger and put into zip lock freezer bags and freeze. You can get your own meat grinder usually cheaper than paying for two deer to be processed.

When in NC I put my bagged meat in a garbage bag and tied it up as tight as I could to compact it. I would put it into my hunting buddies freezer who lived there. We had a couple freezers just for deer meat. In 24 hrs it was frozen. I then could put 2 sometimes 3 deer in a 48 qrt. cooler to haul 6 hrs. home to TN and it was still rock solid when I got home.
 
rich said:
I have been hunting deer for 50 years this past season. I did crop damage control on a huge farm in east NC for 15 years where if it was brown it went down. By October a fawn usually can take care of it's self as far as eating to survive goes.

You people that take deer to processers and pay out the nose to have them butchered need to learn how to do it yourself. YouTube is full of how to do it video's. As far as getting the meat off a deer I can do it in about 19 minutes from the time it is hung up and use nothing but a knife. I de-bone all the meat off and can remove even the inside tender loin without gutting one.

Usually when I kill deer they are being processed within a hour if it is hot weather. I have a portable rope pully set I carry in my truck and can do a process in the field if weather demands. If it is hot and I know that it may be a while before I can get to my processing site I will put a cooler with a couple gallon milk jugs of frozen ice in the truck. I can put the pully system over a tree limb process the meat off the deer and put it into a big garbage bag and put in the cooler.

Here is my process for the meat after off the deer.
I put the meat in a 48 qrt. cooler and cover it with cold water. I then add 1 to 2 cups of WHITE VINEGAR. The bigger the deer the more vinegar and the exact amount is not critical. I stir things around some and make sure the meat is completely covered.

I leave the cooler in a cool place with the lid open. This allows the meat to cool out and the vinegar helps draw the blood out of the meat which is the "wild taste" many people complain about. This also loosens up the meat and tenderizes it some. I leave it soak about 12 hours, which is usually over night. When at home I leave in my basement.

When I was doing most of my deer killing in east NC I was staying in my camper but had water and electricity hook up. It was in the evening and I would set the cooler shut up with the side screened side windows open in the back of my pickup truck which has a camper top over night.

After the soak. Drain the cooler. Wash the meat and cut into the pieces I want or grind into burger and put into zip lock freezer bags and freeze. You can get your own meat grinder usually cheaper than paying for two deer to be processed.

When in NC I put my bagged meat in a garbage bag and tied it up as tight as I could to compact it. I would put it into my hunting buddies freezer who lived there. We had a couple freezers just for deer meat. In 24 hrs it was frozen. I then could put 2 sometimes 3 deer in a 48 qrt. cooler to haul 6 hrs. home to TN and it was still rock solid when I got home.
Click to expand...
I did used to process my own deer many moons ago but I like to age it for several days and I just don't have any way of doing that anymore. Your right though. It's not hard to do and doesn't take long at all but now the deer processor I have does an excellent job(all vacuum packed and not a hair to be found) and will let mine hang for up to a week while he processes other peoples deer that are in a hurry to get their meat back. Uneducated fools!!:tearsofjoy::tearsofjoy:
 
As others have said shoot whatever you want as long as its legal. It comes down to the amount of work required. The amount of work to break down and process a small doe or doe fawn is only marginally less than a full sized doe. I still have to get out the same equipment and go through the same steps so I might as well harvest a larger doe and get more meat and only put in a little more work. But those young ones sure do taste good!
 
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