During the archery seasons, what is the best time to take your doe(s) in benefiting the overall deer herd?

[tpr1921]

In my opinion it would be prior to the rut. For in shooting a doe which has already been breed, all the exertion and stress placed on the buck that bred her, when fighting off rivals and locking her down, has been for not.

Also, it allows more poundage of food to be available for the remaining deer during the rest of the seasons.

Just my thoughts.  

Edited January 10, 2023 by tpr1921

[Bucksnbows]

4 minutes ago, tpr1921 said:

In my opinion it would be prior to the rut. For in shooting a doe which has already been breed, all the exertion and stress placed on the buck that bred her, when fighting off rivals and locking her down, has been for not.

 

Just my thoughts.  

Hence why we have EAB in many zones and why many county park and land trust hunts require a doe or more than one shot before they allow buck hunting. 

[archer36]

Does it really matter? Killing a doe at any time potentially reduces the deer herd by as much as 3 deer in the first year. The time of year is irrelevant. If it's early season before the rut, it did not have a chance to breed. After the rut, if bred and harvested, has the same net effect. 

[3Blade]

I think whether a doe is shot before or after being bred has the same effect, she will not be around next season to drop a fawn or two. As for the stress on bucks, I think it is less stressful on them if does are shot after the rut since there will be more  around during the rut.

[hammer4reel]

28 minutes ago, archer36 said:

Does it really matter? Killing a doe at any time potentially reduces the deer herd by as much as 3 deer in the first year. The time of year is irrelevant. If it's early season before the rut, it did not have a chance to breed. After the rut, if bred and harvested, has the same net effect. 

Has same effect on herd numbers 

. 

I believe what OP is hunting at is all the stress the deer go through during the rut that is wasted energy . 
Bucks trying to breed every doe available end up dying due to starvation when they can’t eat enough to replenish lost weight once the rut is over . 
Also stresses out the does being chased that are already bred for months . 
 

.

on colder nastier winters it def could make an impact . 
 

[archer36]

30 minutes ago, hammer4reel said:

Has same effect on herd numbers 

. 

I believe what OP is hunting at is all the stress the deer go through during the rut that is wasted energy . 
Bucks trying to breed every doe available end up dying due to starvation when they can’t eat enough to replenish lost weight once the rut is over . 
Also stresses out the does being chased that are already bred for months . 
 

.

on colder nastier winters it def could make an impact . 
 

Yeah, I was off on the intent of the OP. But the "stress" (if any) the buck that breeds her endures will be experienced no matter what. If there are few does, there will be more competition for them and more stress? If there are lots of does, then less competition and possibly less stress? You can only speculate.  But we are not taking into account the number of bucks. What is the ratio? Lots of does and few bucks...........less stress? Lots of bucks and few does .............more competition/stress? But if there are lots of does, won't the bucks get stressed trying to breed all of them? The doe by itself isn't the whole equation. 

 

Edited January 10, 2023 by archer36

[JHbowhunter]

I 100% agree with the following:

1. the more does taken pre-rut reduces stress on bucks.  What I have been seeing past few years is seemingly endless rut. And - zero mature bucks sighted during main part of rut. 
    
2. taking a doe before she bred or after makes no difference to the population, but it truly does help point #1.  
    

That being said I am guilty of only taking one EAB doe then mature buck hunting - saving doe patrol for winter. I need to rethink that going forward. 

[electric10162]

Bucks are extremely stressed by January........

[Lunatic]

3 hours ago, tpr1921 said:

In my opinion it would be prior to the rut. For in shooting a doe which has already been breed, all the exertion and stress placed on the buck that bred her, when fighting off rivals and locking her down, has been for not.

 

Just my thoughts.  

Or is there more stress on bucks with fewer does around because of subsequent competition and the stress that comes with it?  Is the buck really stressed if he can just roll over in bed for the next doe? 

 

 

Edited January 10, 2023 by Lunatic

[Hunter115522]

Best time to shoot does is when my freezer is empty 

[Pathman]

3 hours ago, Bucksnbows said:

Hence why we have EAB in many zones and why many county park and land trust hunts require a doe or more than one shot before they allow buck hunting. 

I’m surprised to hear that is your reasoning behind EAB BB. My understanding of EAB is it’s requirement is the only leverage F&W can place on hunters to kill a doe for management purposes (other then simply not allowing buck hunting at all for the first month or two of the season) because many hunters still don’t get the management side of things and won’t shoot does. 

 

[Pathman]

3 hours ago, tpr1921 said:

In my opinion it would be prior to the rut. For in shooting a doe which has already been breed, all the exertion and stress placed on the buck that bred her, when fighting off rivals and locking her down, has been for not.

 

Just my thoughts.  

Bucks are pretty irrelevant in regards to managing a population density. 
As far as your question on stressing out bucks relative to what time of year you shoot a doe, I think that’s irrelevant as well. 
 

[archer36]

I believe we overthink situations. If you own a small piece of land, say under 100 acres, can you really affect anything in regard to deer behavior? There is so much that can go on around you that you can have an impact. If you had control over a huge tract of land, like in Texas, you can manage deer more effectively. I belonged to a club in NJ that had 800 acres. Inside that area we had a lot of effect on a deer herd. But over time, the management of the herd in surrounding areas would change it again. A doe here and there is not "management" on small tracts of land. It's a widespread practice over time that effects a deer herd over a large area. 

Edited January 10, 2023 by archer36

[tpr1921]

10 minutes ago, Pathman said:

Bucks are pretty irrelevant in regards to managing a population density. 
As far as your question on stressing out bucks relative to what time of year you shoot a doe, I think that’s irrelevant as well. 
 

I agree with "Bucks are pretty irrelevant in regards to managing a population density." 

However, placing undue stress on a buck for zero gain is not irrelevant, as it has an impact on his overall health.

[Pathman]

28 minutes ago, tpr1921 said:

I agree with "Bucks are pretty irrelevant in regards to managing a population density." 

However, placing undue stress on a buck for zero gain is not irrelevant, as it has an impact on his overall health.

All due respect TRP, there’s no way to quantify what you’re suggesting and whether it has any impact on herd health. Herd health and population management are birds of a different feather. 
IMO it does not. 

Edited January 10, 2023 by Pathman