I found one! ... now what?

I

iduncant

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Toronto, Ontario
Hello hunters,

I have a question for the experienced out there. I've managed to find a couple of deer to fill my antlerless tag. It's my first year hunting and I'd like to be prepared for the season.

This lovely lady looks wonderful for my first deer. (i'm going for meat right now, not rack)
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My problem is this, my camera has been capturing her here regularly for the past month, however all the photographs are taken after dark. The only photo i have that isn't taken after sunset is this one: and it's of her fawn.
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The property is not very big, so i think she may be leaving during the day and coming back under the cover of darkness. Do you folks know if there's any way to draw her on to this property during the day so i can get a shot?

Input is welcome, remember I'm new.
 
Her fawn is still pretty young, I would pass on that one as well , we go out hunting and regularly see does with fawn and pass them up .We see does on their own too but are waiting for the rut when they will bring a few suitors in from the field. If the fawn is around I would bet the doe is too, they don't range far and usually stick pretty close to their young.
 
leave her alone, a buck may come into that area looking for love, don't interfere with her and be ready for a buck from Oct .20 to late Nov.

If this is your first tag this season you will likely be allowed either a buck OR an antlerless, check your tag but it sounds like you can hunt a buck.
 
Mount Sweetness said:
leave her alone, a buck may come into that area looking for love, don't interfere with her and be ready for a buck from Oct .20 to late Nov.

If this is your first tag this season you will likely be allowed either a buck OR an antlerless, check your tag but it sounds like you can hunt a buck.
Click to expand...

I've got an antlerless for this WMU, however if a buck comes along during the open season in november i'd much rather take him. Plus, as you mentioned, I'd rather not hinder the population by unnecessarily taking a female.
 
come rut they will change habits, those two may move on, a buck might move in, or another doe will come up, just keep at it, you will definitly see something during legal shooting light
 
Both are legal deer, but you have to decide where your line of ethics lies. As a new hunter, it is a great time to start deciding exactly what kind of hunter you want to be. I do not judge, but I don't know a single hunter who would drop a fawn with spots, or it's mother while she is still caring for it.
The colder weather will be changing their patterns very soon, if those two are there now, there will soon be many more, if not already.
Hunting is a game of patience. Keep in mind that doe isn't virgin Mary, something knocked her up.
Good luck in your decision, and your hunt!

Oh, and I fibbed a little, I do judge.
 
I personally would sooner drop the fawn if it was between that and the mother but you don't have to make that decision and nor do I thankfully. In my area all I've been seeing on my cam so far are does and one with twins as cute as can be. I'd never consider taking either three but a lone doe for meat does sound pretty good. Went out a couple times last year,it was my first and I passed on a young buck which I regret.So now since the population around here is so good I'll take the first ethically available animal that comes my way.
 
If baiting is legal, you might be able to establish the habit of deer coming into that area during legal shooting times by leaving food before sunrise and removing it after sunset.

A lot of work, and it's no guarantee.
 
Find another Deer.
I am not going to preach ethics here, but rather how Cow/Calf LEH draws are interpreted here in BC.
If drawn Hunters are asked to shoot the calf in accompany of the cow...
Insert Doe/fawn for the Cow/Calf scenario, Yes I do know the difference between the two animals as well.
If there is a doe and fawn in the area then there are more as well.
What do the Hunting Regs. suggest you do in your Province when it talks about the Doe Tags for which you have purchased ?
Tight Groups,
Rob
 
I have shot whitetail fawns they are the very best eating you can find in the bush!! I cannot tell you how good the back straps are on the BBQ!!

I do draw the line at spots however, can't shoot one that young and won't take a doe that has a spotted fawn, but that's just me. You will need to decide what is right.

By late October I have seen fawns by themselves and by November they can be hard to tell apart from a yearling sometimes and can certainly survive on their own. An old doe will help her fawn through a harsh winter, showing it good wintering grounds and how to survive. Taking any doe or fawn is going to have an impact on deer populations, and again you are going to have to decide what is right.
 
Yeah, them little ones are good eats! Yum!

Not a lot on them, but...

I've eaten my share of the little ones. A couple due to bad judgement (one was running across a grassy hill slope that was a lot shorter grass than it looked to be, another I got shooting buckshot in the shotgun zone outside Moose Jaw, they look bigger when they are running at you in a snow storm, eh), and I have butchered and eaten a couple that got taken down by the pass through when they were hidden from view or running alongside the does.

Your call! Shot placement! The small ones lose a higher percentage to badly placed shot!

Cheers
Trev
 
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