Shooting A Doe With Fawns? (Should/Shouldn't I)

I think the op did well, its a sport not a surviving hunt..

We humans arent coyotes or bears that NEED to kill to eat so choice is the hunter's.

Everybody does what he wants but on my hunts its shoot both or nothing.
 
Yes, it's not "illegal" in most areas but I wouldn't take a doe with fawns, especially twins.

Antlerless tags are already difficult to come by and in this scenario I might be taking three deer out of the equation if I took the doe.
 
LambeauLeap said:
Hey guys, I was hunting this morning and a good sized doe with 2 clear fawns came up and decided to start eating in the soy field. I had a 35 yard, easy broadside shot on the doe, but I decided not to take it because she had 2 fawns with her.

Did I do the right thing? Would those fawns most likely die if their mother had been killed by me?

Another reason I didn't shoot was because of the rut in a few weeks. My party and I have seen a TON of does (taken a good sized one) and we all know when there is does, the bucks will come. So I am hoping to take a big boy down during shotgun week.

Would you have taken the shot? I feel like it was the right call, but my buddy says he would have and other hunters I know say they wouldn't have.

What do you think?

Thanks.
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you did the right thing
 
Sqr said:
You did what all ethical hunters would have done. The chances of the young ones not surviving are very poor without the mother. Now their are two more to harvest for next year.

Very cool and I commend you on a wise choice.
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And at what age do you suppose they wean the fawn? Did you watch Bambi much as a kid?
They are ruminating nicely by now. The only reason I can see not to shoot a doe with young one's is because they will not be in top shape having raised young ones.
It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to see them too. But the fawns are ready to go on their own by snow flying time.
If you don't want to...cool. But be cautious saying ' You did the right thing ' because of Walt Disney's influence on you.
 
tokguy said:
And at what age do you suppose they wean the fawn? Did you watch Bambi much as a kid?
They are ruminating nicely by now. The only reason I can see not to shoot a doe with young one's is because they will not be in top shape having raised young ones.
It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to see them too. But the fawns are ready to go on their own by snow flying time.
If you don't want to...cool. But be cautious saying ' You did the right thing ' because of Walt Disney's influence on you.
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The OP has values that resonate with most here. Walt Disney has nothing to do with the decision to leave the doe and her fawns. You may be well aware that a Walt Disney lagoon resident, a crocodile, recently dragged a toddler to its death to the horror of the parents. Anyway, I commend the OP on his judgement and for me, there is a high ethical code here that more hunters should consider.

Keep in mind that mother is still looking out for the better interest of her offspring at this point, which places those fawns with another caretaker against predators, and IMO increases the chances that they will survive until they're ready to fend for themselves as adult deer do.
 
Seeing as the fawns would have began eating forage months before the season opened and any milk they're still getting is completely unnecessary, it would make absolutely zero difference to the fawns if you shot the doe or not.
 
IMO unless you are desperate for the meat this would have been a short sighted kill. You could have potentially taken 3 breeding animals out of your local eco system with that one shot. As for some of the comments on shooting the fawns... fist palm. I hope the same guys routinely make a meal out of a couple squirrels. I have never processed a fawn but I have opened up plenty of calfs that died on the farm. Honestly how much meat do you recover, 2 burgers? anyone that hard up feel free to pm me and I will think about sending you the equivalent. Obviously everyone ultimately makes their own decision and some people have even suggested ethics are up to the individual to determine. Just remember some also think its ethical for Natives to jack animals with lights, have zero bag limit while using modern vehicles, weapons etc.
From where I sit as a proud sportsman these issues are pretty clear as to what is right, wrong and sustainable. If I am missing something here please enlighten me!
 
blauber said:
The OP has values that resonate with most here. Walt Disney has nothing to do with the decision to leave the doe and her fawns. You may be well aware that a Walt Disney lagoon resident, a crocodile, recently dragged a toddler to its death to the horror of the parents. Anyway, I commend the OP on his judgement and for me, there is a high ethical code here that more hunters should consider.

Keep in mind that mother is still looking out for the better interest of her offspring at this point, which places those fawns with another caretaker against predators, and IMO increases the chances that they will survive until they're ready to fend for themselves as adult deer do.
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That doe will run off her fawns if food becomes short.
 
Assuming the deer population is in good shape, it won't make any difference to the fawn. If he deer population is poor, there shouldn't be a doe season anyway.
 
Grass is in pretty short supply throughout the winter in my parts. Not a big deal, since deer don't eat a lot of it in any case. They are browsers, not grazers. Between deep snow, predation and limited food (or at least access to food) they don't quite have the happy-go-lucky existence your last sentence seems to imply.

This is an interesting thread, if only because it highlights the vast range of opinions and personal ethics displayed by various hunters. None wrong or right, I hasten to add...just different. I hope we can keep this discussion clean and respectful, rather than allowing it to turn into a typical CGN slugfest.
 
galamb said:
Yes, it's not "illegal" in most areas but I wouldn't take a doe with fawns, especially twins.

Antlerless tags are already difficult to come by and in this scenario I might be taking three deer out of the equation if I took the doe.
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That difficulty depends entirely on where you hunt. The WMU I hunt has been consistently handing out only 60-70% of its tag quota for years.
I dont know anyone in the area who has ever thrown their money in for antlerless, controlled, or both and not gotten a tag. Heck, unless it is late season there generally isn't much problem filling a tag in the am, driving to service Ontario, and being back in the stand with an additional tag for the afternoon.
 
Superbrad said:
John knows the score....... and I completely agree......

That being said, those who wish to come in here and flaunt their personal versions of "ethics" are all good in my books..... until they start trying to enforce their non scientific ethics on others.......

OP, I will put it this way...... if you had concerns about the fawns and you chose not to take the shot because you felt it may be unethical, kudos to you...... it's you that needs to live with your choice and own it and nobody else...... I think, for you, the right choice was made......
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There's nothing unethical or ethical for that matter, about choosing to keep alive a doe with her fawn/fawns. It's entirely mathematical and scientific. And unfortunately some of us have to live with the choices made by others who shoot the first deer they see, doe or fawn, as though it's the last piece of protein on earth.

If you shoot the doe, her fawn will likely die because deer, like most mammals learn everything they need to know about survival from their mothers. And a fawns best chances of survival will result from it spending it's first winter learning how to survive through it from it's mother. The mother also offers defence and protection from predators that would make an easy meal of a smaller, younger, inexperienced fawn on its own earlier than it should be as the result of some hunter with a trigger finger itch. In addition, if that doe was bred that fall she may have 2 embryos that would be born next spring.

The choice to take the fawn (young of the year) will assure that you will never see him as a mature buck or if it's female, you have assured that animal will never mother fawns of her own...thus reducing your herd further.

Thirdly fawns weigh between 70-100 pounds, yielding 20-30% meat. Mature does weigh between 120-160 pounds, yielding 30-40% meat. But a mature 3 year old buck will weigh between 170-250 pounds, yielding 40-50% meat. So you would have to shoot 2 does or 4 fawns to get the same meat as the buck.

As a general rule if you're going to shoot a doe or a fawn, you're not ever likely going to shoot a buck.
 
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It's a personal decision. I have done the same thing and let a doe with a fawn pass. Another year I shot a doe that was alone and then had a fawn come out of the bush. That one still bothers me a little.
 
interesting read.

You see Down under, in Australia, we have a population explosion, theres a lot of very Ethical hunters around, some mostly olden days and some new schoolers who have I guess respect and the need to not kill...
But we have a species expanding by 3x each year, moving into unchartered country for a Deer, wrecking havoc on the farmed pastures yet these hunters are passing up HINDS regularly in hope of that Trophy stag.

now the story gets blurred here because of
A- let them go let them grow, referring to Stags with the potential to become the "30 incher" of their Dreams..
B- due to such populations the deer are losing their Status as premier Game animal to Pest
C- only certain amount of meat needed for a Freezer

Some of these guys have "access on private properties" which in most cases is the All clear from the Farmer for the Hunter to Shoot deer on or behind he's land... A lot of shooters get kicked off because they just arnt producing enogh Kills.

Some guys off here will be Cringing about now..

I get a bit of a label of "Not letting any deer walk" via the interweb roumers, reality I let a lot of Deer walk but I also respect that A- the deer need to be shot more often B-theres big old deer out there and C- many of my access is to kill deer. the interweb guys just don't understand it or are 'jeoulous" of that situation and try downgrade it to a 'kill for sake' problem.

this is a bit off topic , I know.. sorry.

what im getting at, in Our situation , we don't have predators for the Fawn to be eaten by (the odd wild dog/dingo) and so in a fence sitting way, it isn't the end of the world to have shot a mother which may have a Calf/Fawn lying in cover near by (unbeknown to us because they breed at random times of year) an if it does happen to leave that Deer to die (unethically) well... that's the way the cookie crumbles here.
I know we wont kill if it has a Fawn at foot with her, although I have shot a Ma, an then the Fawn within minutes.. ethical in my book.


lucky for us we don't have Tags, so if one does step out after, we can take it.


I encourage everyone to shoot more Hinds of the Sambar Species... as they will Breed up as a Stag will walk in from Kilometers away to service her when she cycles. (June-November)

I do need to leave some Stags alone to Grow in near future as I don't have a need for -25 inch antlers, however if in State Forest I may do so, but on Farmland, I kill em.

good night, I need to sleep

WL
 
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