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Doe Or Yearling.

Which one would you shoot

  • Doe

    Votes: 11 91.7%
  • Yearling

    Votes: 1 8.3%

  • Total voters
    12

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
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38,841
260
Say you have both a doe and a yearling with no spots walk in. Which one would you shoot?
 

jagermeister

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18,060
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Ohio
Definitely the doe. I'm assuming that by yearling, you mean a fawn (6 mo old). Even though the fawn would taste better, I'll get more bang for my buck by shooting the adult doe.
 

Jackalope

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Staff member
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A First year doe can usually throw 1 fawn, if successfully bred.
Second year Does can throw two fawns.
In the third year they can throw 2-3 fawns.

If a doe and a yearling walk in. And you shoot the yearling. You essentially killed "maybe" 1 fawn it would have thrown in spring, if old enough to throw any at all.

Now if you shoot the doe you undoubtedly removed the 2 - 3 fawns she would have thrown next spring...

1 fawn lost by shooting the yearling, Maybe, if she was old enough.
Versus a guaranteed 2 maybe 3 lost by shooting the Adult doe.

To me.. I'll shoot the yearling.
 

jagermeister

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18,060
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Ohio
Ok, you threw me off on this one. When most guys say "yearling," they really mean a fawn. I figured you knew the difference, but your reference to "no spots" had me thinking that you meant fawn.

I think your logic makes a lot of sense, especially if you're hunting in an area with a sub-par population density. On another note... A buddy of mine owns a deer farm, and he's told me that 60% or so of the genetics passed on are from the doe. I don't know if that's true or not... but, I tell you what, if there's a mature doe standing there that just spit out twin or triplet button bucks, I'm letting her ass walk... she's a fuggin gold mine, man. Bring on the yearling in that case.
 

swantucky

The Crew
1,594
122
Swanton, Ohio
I guess it depends on your management goals. Most of the properties I hunt my permission to hunt is dependant on killing as many deer as I can. Some years we lay off the does others the landowners says "If you guys want to keep excusive FREE rights to this property I want every deer you see killed, I lost 40k in sweetcorn this summer".
 

Gern186

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,171
201
NW Ohio Tundra
Jackalope
A First year doe can usually throw 1 fawn, if successfully bred.
Second year Does can throw two fawns.
In the third year they can throw 2-3 fawns.

If a doe and a yearling walk in. And you shoot the yearling. You essentially killed "maybe" 1 fawn it would have thrown in spring, if old enough to throw any at all.

Now if you shoot the doe you undoubtedly removed the 2 - 3 fawns she would have thrown next spring...

1 fawn lost by shooting the yearling, Maybe, if she was old enough.
Versus a guaranteed 2 maybe 3 lost by shooting the Adult doe.

To me.. I'll shoot the yearling.




And get 1/2 the meat that a doe would provide. There are plenty of does around here. A few thinned out won't hurt the balance of nature here.
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,720
248
Ohio
Depends on the property. The properties I hunted last year I would take any doe I could and would still love a crack at a couple of the more mature does. This would be a challenge in those woods. The one new property I am hunting this year I have seen very few does. I have seen more bucks than does actually. The bucks all seem to be of the same genetics as the one doe. She will live as long as possible if I have my way. The other properties, I could still take five does a year (if it were legal) and these properties would still be full of deer. They would be super skiddish, nocturnal deer, but full of them.
 

Jackalope

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Staff member
38,841
260
Jackalope
And get 1/2 the meat that a doe would provide. There are plenty of does around here. A few thinned out won't hurt the balance of nature here.

True. But I can shoot 6 deer in southern ohio and 4 more around where i live.

A yearling is defined as an animal in it's 2nd year. I should have been more precise with my ages. Only about 25% of fawns born in June are bred, usually in December or January. And they will throw 1 fawn of which isn't likely to make it. So by the next time The rut rolls around those fawns are 1.5 yo or "yearlings" Most of these deer will have 1 fawn with the exception maybe the original 25% that came in early their first rut actually having twins. This is why I will shoot a 1.5 yo yearling or even a fawn (if good sized) over a doe with twins that is probably a 2.5 yo.