Texas' 4 day doe season.

[Kentucky45]

We just ended our Texas doe season which ran four days Nov. 25th thru the 28th. I could have killed two does but didn't. Thanksgiving morning a 3/4 grown doe came out of the brush 60 yards away. An easy shot with my 50cal. Lyman. I watched her for a while then poured a cup of coffee. She needs to grow and have twins next year. That makes more deer for future seasons. Last evening, the 28th, an older doe, a shooter, came out of the woods about 70 yards, another good shot with the Lyman. I raised the gun and about that time she let out a bleat nearly as loud as a calf. She was looking in every direction in a panic and started running around that area. She bleated loudly a couple more times. I finally decided she must be looking for her fawn. Because of the people that hunt the neighboring land, I worry that they may have shot her fawn. I don't think ethics cross their minds very often. I let her go. She needed to look for her baby. I've seen several does with half grown singles and twins recently. No doe for me this special season, but I had some good hunts. And there is always the special muzzle loader season for bucks and does in January. K45

 

[ny griz]

:applause: Thank you Kentucky,i feel the same way when it comes to shooting a doe.I'm very selective if i do shoot one,which hasen't been in awhile.Griz

 

[hoochiepapa]

I probly would have did the same thing. Does need to be harvested to balance the herd, though.

 

[John Wasmuth]

What county are you in? Here in the hill country doe season for firearms, ML included runs from Nov. 06 until January 16. Hope you get another chance in the late season. :thumbsup:

 

[rdillion]

I used to have problems shooting does. Started deer hunting in the mid 1970s when killing a doe was a cardinal sin. Then about 15 years ago I witnessed a deer die-off on my buddy's land. We only bow hunted on this 1000 acres and between 3 of us we just weren't killing enough deer. The game biologist came in and after looking things over immediately gave us 30 doe permits. The warden said he didn't care what we did with the meat so long as we didn't try to sell it. This whole incident cured my unease about shooting does. It's a whole lot better than finding dead deer lying everywhere on your property. A young yearling is a good management deer to harvest. Let the older does keep on trucking. If they're a late fawn and that small during hunting season the chances are they won't make it through the winter here in the Ozarks anyway.

 

[Kentucky45]

What county are you in? Here in the hill country doe season for firearms, ML included runs from Nov. 06 until January 16. Hope you get another chance in the late season. :thumbsup:

I love the Hill Country. I hunt the special four day doe season in Hunt, Wood, and Van Zandt counties. I was hunting in Wood County when I saw these does. I'll get another chance at does during the special muzzle loader season in January in Houston and Trinity Counties. I have no problem taking a doe, I prefer it. I'm a meat hunter. I won't shoot a doe with young fawns or a young doe that's not grown. We don't have the high deer population here that other parts of the state have. That makes me more selective. I give the deer population every chance to grow, even if it means not taking a deer this season. For some reason we've been seeing does with very young fawns this season, several with twins. They're younger than normal. We stopped in the road over the weekend to let a doe and two speckled fawns cross. K45

 

[John Wasmuth]

I hear ya, we have some fawns that were born in late August and early Sept. Couple of them that have been orphaned via motor vehicle are hanging around with my goat herd. When winter gets here it will be iffy for them at best. :thumbsup:

 

[jessestrish]

I don't know if this is the right area to put this, but I wanted to affirm his statements...I hear you, I take the young that might not make the winter, and leave the breeders definately! Especially the ones with twins or triplets. I try to teach my boys to hunt with sound management.I have to say that from talking with others and my boys that this "buck to doe ratio" idea and "trophies only" is what is causing the demorelizing of the deer herd, especially the does, they are becoming worthless to many hunters because they dont have racks, they are eating the bucks feed or keeping them running around using up their energies that they need to survive the winter etc. I beleive in life and the respect of it on all levels. I have never seen a trophy buck give birth to his son or daughter. Here is a different idea, if a woman carries the "balding hair" gene in humans, and passes it on to her sons, who really carries the big rack gene? Is it just the buck or could it be his daughter or his mother? What Im saying is they all matter, not just the ratio. The true carring capacity of the land should be the judge on what and how many lives should be taken and the true health of the herd. In areas where I've hunted and seen many 10 pt or better bucks there was a large herd of deer, many older does with twins and triplets. There were big bucks a plenty for me and my brothers and neighbors. I could take multiple big bucks on nearby state land before this doe slaughter started. I saw deer every time I went out. Since the big Doe to Buck ratio push all I've noticed is that I sit out with my sons for more than a week and see just squirrels. I think it will result in closer ratios, but that might be only 1 doe and 1 buck in the area and the herd will be gone. There will always be more bucks where there are more deer and does for them to breed. Would you go somewhere with no girls if you were looking for a date? Lets keep it real for every one to enjoy.
One last thought, though somewhat unrelated, I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually connect CWD to the protein feeds, crude protein and crude fat are both animal products, why would we want to feed animals to herbivores(animals that eat plants only)like our deer? This is what Europe said contributed to the mad cow in their area.

 

[mathews]

I agree, I wish Pa. would have left things like they was.All the true trophy hunters had no proublem getting there big racks.I am a meet hunter and always will be.

 

[texcl]

We just had a big deer die off in North Dakota, they couldn't give away the doe tags and we had 2 good winters and a flood in a row and walla the deer are gone, there are probably %25 of the deer there were on my property and it wasn't hunted. It's funny because now all I hear is "they gave out too many doe tags and now all the deer are gone" in reality they never could sell the tags in the first place, shoot even this year when they severely restricted the tags, we still had tags left over, out here where we are out numbered by deer 100 to 1 hunters have a very small effect on the deer herd, excluding big bucks, because that's all people hunt for.

 

[rdillion]

I have gotten to the point where trophy hunters really irritate me. You tell them you killed a doe and they look down their noses at you. I have developed the same tactic to use on them. At work when one of these "trophy-only, mine is bigger than yours types" shows me a picture of their newest big buck harvest I give it a quick glance, say that's nice, and walk away. To tell the truth I really don't care. Now I like to look at a big rack :grin: ......on a deer as much as the next person but it's the trophy hunting aspect that leaves a bad taste in a lot of non-hunters mouths. To me deer hunting is a lot more than who can kill the biggest buck. It's about fellowship with my buddies and feeding myself and family good wholesome venison. Just my two cents. :thumbsup: :hatsoff:

 

[mathews]

I'm with you.

 

[shootemup]

Totally agree - Big racks are nice and all, but I'm mostly interested in filling the freezer.