Which Doe To Harvest
Filed under: Ask Grant, Deer Biology, Hunting Tactics
Hello, love the show!
On our farm we have an extremely high deer density. On the average night while driving around my roughly 700 acres I will see around a hundred deer. We have such a problem with crop damage that the DNR issues my uncle deer damage permits. What type of does should I specifically look for to harvest with these summer harvest permits? Should we be taking dominate does with fawns and hope that their button bucks will remain here on the farm? Are fawns equipped to survive on their own at this point?
Thanks!
Andrew
Andrew,
When deer herds are overpopulated either from crop damage or herd health, I simply prescribe a doe harvest. I never prescribe a certain age of does to be harvested. Reducing the stress of over abundance in a deer herd will likely yield much more favorable results than could be achieved by attempting to select which does to harvest. It is much more important to ensure the doe harvest quota is met than to worry about which does to harvest.
Fawns can survive from a nutritional point of view by July or so in most parts of the whitetails’ range (where the rut occurs during November or earlier). However, a fawn’s odds at avoiding predators, etc., probably increase significantly in another month or so (by the beginning of deer season in most states).
Growing Deer together,
Grant
