How do you hunt does?

I

iccyman001

New member
Apr 30, 2014
5,489
Does anyone here hunt specifically for does?

Do you have any different game plans for them that you would not use for a buck?
I have never shot a doe in my life and I want to so bad.
It WILL happen this year.


I just didn\'t know if you guys didn\'t anything different or just shot them as they came.


Also, how close to the rut will you shoot the does?
When do you stop going after them?
 
the same way as bucks... find the travel routes, pinch points, food sources and bedding areas. The mature does are normally harder to kill than a mature buck.

For the rut I would not shoot a doe because there could be a buck trailing her that you might not see yet or it could bring a buck in 10-30 mins after she comes through your area. I think it would depend on how active the rut is at that certain point.
 
I think I\'ll hunt them during October, maybe early November too, but once it hits a certain time I am not sending arrows anymore.

Unless I kill my two bucks, then it\'s doe time!
 
I think does are your best friend during the rut. If you are hunting where they travel,feed or bed the bucks will be there checking for that hot doe. I believe you saw that first hand last year.
 
Besides the obvious meat benefit, shooting a doe now and then just keeps you in tune for the kill when a shooter buck comes by. I do it early and not from one of my go to stands for big bucks. That\'s just me.
 
Yeah, but that\'s what I need to be careful of too.

My doe spots are my ruts spots. Well, kind of at least.
My ruts spots are catching does going back to their bedding areas.

I guess I just need to scope out more doe areas, so I don\'t stink up my rut spots :dance2:
 
\"mainebrdr\" said:
Besides the obvious meat benefit, shooting a doe now and then just keeps you in tune for the kill when a shooter buck comes by. I do it early and not from one of my go to stands for big bucks. That\'s just me.
Click to expand...


So what do you call your other stands, Tim?
Are they doe specific stands? Or just decent travel stands that you could catch a big buck off guard and also have does?


You need to get permission to hunt that river bottom of that area Francis and I went in that one day.
It just screamed deer :mg:
 
For Rick and Tim.......


Do you guys control doe harvests where you are? Control the buck doe ratio?
 
I am very particular when I shoot does. I won\'t kill them (usually) from late October all the way through thanksgiving. I have certain stands I won\'t think about shooting a doe out of. Usually because they are very remote and tough to get in and out without making quite a disturbance. Plus I\'ve become lazy and don\'t want to drag one that far. Now a big buck... I\'ll drag through briar patches and across deep creeks and up hills. :)

I also don\'t kill does in the evenings because I don\'t want to be dragging and gutting a deer at night. I also don\'t like to kill them when the air temps are going to be over 70 for that day. My windows are narrowed a lot by the self imposed restrictions but I\'ve killed a bunch of them and there\'s always time in December if I need more meat for the freezer.

This doe here I made an exception in mid November. I had seen her on two other occasions and wanted to kill her. We called her \"gray face\". I knew where she hung out and told my wife I was going to kill \"gray face\", that morning. She gave me a 5 yard shot while feeding on red oak acorns along with 4 other sharp eyed does. She went less than 50 yards after being heart shot. I was proud to have taken her...
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    86.8 KB · Views: 151
Wow... she\'s an ol girl! Those things are just as hard to kill as a mature buck, if not harder.
Congrats on your kill, Rick.

I like a person who takes time to stage a final picture.
None of yours are pouring out blood, tongues hanging out, or long arming.

It\'s all about giving the respect back to them too :upthumb:



Keep it up :upthumb:
 
Dan, I have no doe specific stands because that\'s not why I deer hunt. If all I wanted was meat from deer hunting I would just pick up a rifle and shoot one during the late doe season we have in Jan. I have actually done that but generally for someone that could use the meat for their family.
I guess you could call these stands \'travel\' stands but I have always thought of them as observation stands. Early season stands that are on the fringes, easy to get into without disturbing anything and with good views of the area. Like Rick said these stands are in areas where it is easy to get the meat out. We have so many coyotes here that lately I have been using the gutless method on does and in 1 or 2 days everything is gone that I leave behind. At my age dragging anything that heavy has lost its appeal!
 
\"mainebrdr\" said:
Dan, I have no doe specific stands because that\'s not why I deer hunt. If all I wanted was meat from deer hunting I would just pick up a rifle and shoot one during the late doe season we have in Jan. I have actually done that but generally for someone that could use the meat for their family.
I guess you could call these stands \'travel\' stands but I have always thought of them as observation stands. Early season stands that are on the fringes, easy to get into without disturbing anything and with good views of the area. Like Rick said these stands are in areas where it is easy to get the meat out. We have so many coyotes here that lately I have been using the gutless method on does and in 1 or 2 days everything is gone that I leave behind. At my age dragging anything that heavy has lost its appeal!
Click to expand...


You would have had one less coyote if I wasn\'t so focused on getting the stubborn turkey :downthumb:
Sorry!
 
I hunt does in December out in Nebraska.
We set up on the edge of food sources in mornings and evenings and shoot them as they come thru.

Does should be harvested. Just like ranchers cull their herds of cows to keep a healthy and productive population
 
Here\'s a doe I killed by rattling (odd I know). This was another exception during the rut. Early November and I had already taken a really nice buck in late October. Mid morning and very cool that morning with minimal wind. It was a stand that I could drive my truck very close to as well. This area was a good cruising spot for receptive does and near a bedding area. Red oaks everywhere. I picked up the antlers and clacked them together briefly. Less than a minute later, I heard footsteps coming my way. Turned out it was this old sharp eyed doe with two others. She was so intent on finding the source of the clacking antlers, that she came by at very close range. At around five yards and broadside, I put a good shot on her and she traveled about 75 yards and tipped over. Is it hunting season yet?
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    250.1 KB · Views: 112
Rick,

I cannot wait! I went out to the public land I hunt and the vegetation is unbelievable. Stuff that was 2-3 inches tall last year is up over my waist now.

I can\'t even run cameras in my honey hole because it\'s so tall.

I\'m very excited because it add a new variable to this hunt. I have to change up my game plans somewhat because I have so much growth.
 
\"iccyman001\" said:
Rick,

I cannot wait! I went out to the public land I hunt and the vegetation is unbelievable. Stuff that was 2-3 inches tall last year is up over my waist now.

I can\'t even run cameras in my honey hole because it\'s so tall.

I\'m very excited because it add a new variable to this hunt. I have to change up my game plans somewhat because I have so much growth.
Click to expand...
My June placement of my cameras was poor. In 4 weeks, the grass had grown so much that it triggered the cameras at 2 out of 4 locations.

Despite the triggering when windy, I had game shots. The 16GB cards never filled up in those 30 days. I was using Moultrie 800 (2013) and Moultrie 880i, 4MB picture quality with 2 shot fast pictures. I think you have the same 800 series cameras.

When I went back in mid-July, I reset the cameras higher and angled them down using branches. Since the trails I was capturing were on a steep slope, the angling was a better setup than not angling them downward.

Brad puts his up high in a tree and angles them down. This may minimize triggering by tall grass. A wood wedge would work better than the branches I used to angle them downward.
 
You\'re correct! I do have the 800 series as well (and love them)
I do the same thing Brad does with high up in trees, the only issue is where I hunt in Oklahoma..... there are no big trees. It\'s all smaller sage brush, small cedar and other various low growth trees.

So for me to get any elevation I would have to either use a stake and build my own mount of just clear all the grass and vegetation.

We will see though. I\'m hoping for a very dry august and September. That way maybe some of the stuff will wilt down. I too have had false triggers and came back to 13-15000 pictures. The bigger issue is I\'m mad enough to check then all.... :crazy:
 
Looking forward to checking my cameras as well that I put out in mid June. Will most likely pick them up the first weekend in August. But, mostly, it will be a trip to hang and move stands. I have a bunch of new stands to put up this season. Also...speaking of growth, the county I hunt had over 40\" of rain the last 90 days. Good for the antler growth!
 
Good to hear!
I don\'t have the exact amount, but I know we are WELL over my counties average, probably best in YEARS!!!!


Get your bucks put into Cy Curtis, Rick!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 36 (members: 0, guests: 36)

Latest posts

Share this page

Back
Top