Hunting on my farm I have a good size doe I see up on the very back of my 96 acres... She has two yearlings with here, one small and one almost the size of her... The other night just before dark, a good size doe walks out into my field all by herself.. Good I figure it's a doe with no yearlings... 50 yd shot, 30-06, bang right down where she stood. Good clean kill.. I go to load her up as it's near dark into my four wheeler dump box.. No way .. I want to bring her down to my barn to gut out.. Go get the wife , to help lift the deer... As we pull into the field there's Moma Doe and the smaller yearling standing over the dead doe I shot,,,ugh!!!!!! Well I didn't want to shoot mom anyways and leave the yearlings on their own... So when I saw this I knew I had taken the bigger of the two yearlings and left the smaller yearling with Mom.. So myself I think it worked out right... Wound up getting my tractor and bucket to bring the deer down... Dump box was too high for even the wife and I to load the deer.. Hate shooting stuff towards dark...
No problem in my book Charlie, I'd have taken either of the two young ones for my freezer. I'd leave a good Momma in the field to raise some more!
Boog, I really didn't want to take Mom... Black Powder and bow here for 8 days,,, I have 3 tags left so now I'll hunt another part of my woods that has a different group of deer... Maybe just get one or two more big yearlings from that group of 6 or so deer... Had the slide action on my 30-06 not all the way forward earlier in gun and had no trigger action on a big 10 pointer here earlier in the season, 20 feet way!!!!! Got to watch it walk away
Deer will start herding up here pretty quick for the winter. There will be plenty of other mature does to look after the others. No worries had you shot the momma. Should be some good eatin'. Congrats.
Thanks Lukem, Just trying to keep a pretty good balance going here... Figure things get bad , I know I can eat...
Young ones are better to eat. As far as shooting younger or older does it depends on your goal. If you want to shoot a deer for meat but want the herd to continue to grow shoot young deer. They are less likely to have multiple fawns like a mature doe. If you are trying to reduce numbers shoot a mature doe that will be more likely to have multiple fawns.
Thanks Sean, that makes sense... I've seen a lot of twin yearlings.. The one I took was almost the size of Mom ... So I will keep that in mind...
I would opt for the smaller one myself. Easier drag, better meat and Momma will make more come next year.
Just have to figure out when to take the momma deer who's not producing anymore yet leave the younger deer who are starting to fill her role... Made a venison roast in my Esse wood cook stove from the yearling harvest.. Wow, lean and very tender! Great flavor!
