Welcome to TheOhioOutdoors
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Login or sign up today!
Login / Join

to shoot does or not to shoot?

at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,943
139
well hopefully this stays clean.

I am a big QDM guy, mostly due to the habitat improvements and not so much the "doe management" part of it. I am a younger guy and got to hunt Ohio when I was younger when even in areas like Salt Fork I would see 6+ deer a sit.

About 6 years ago my family bought a farm in SE Ohio and I have done a TON of improvements on the farm. We normally have 1-5 shooters on camera, nothing huge but 130 or better. We do NOT have high doe numbers or so I thought. This year we are noticing many more deer. Opening day I passed 5 does that came into feed in a 1/8th acre of brassica/oats.

I have 0 shooters so far on camera and I have does and small bucks on every camera. The largest groups of does I have is about 5.

So my question is, if I shoot a 1-3 does this year is that going to really reflect next years numbers do you think?

this is a 65 acre farm, limited neighbors. One number is a 500 acre clearcut (hunt able ground is limited). Others are 1000 acre family farms and about 300 acres of guys who haven't shot a buck or doe in 2 years.

thank you all for reading.
 

Bigslam51

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
25,778
127
Stark County
I have at least a dozen does that feed in a alfalfa field every evening at a farm I hunt, and that's just one corner of the field. There's more on the other side of the farm. Don't know if I'll shoot one or not, gotta see what the other 3 guys do during gun season. One has already been killed by a friend of the landowner. If I were you I wouldn't shoot any.
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
I believe the experts say take a doe and that's about 1.7 deer on the average for next year.
With that large of a area and you know for sure no deer have been taken the last 2 years I would see no harm in taking couple does.
Now guys he did say 'keep this post clean'. LOL
 

giles

Cull buck specialist
Supporting Member
I think I would talk to the neighbors about it. If everyone has this same thought his year, you guys could do some major damage. With that being said, I shoot a few every year from certain places with a much higher doe ratio than what your saying. The one property is 180 acres and the target number is 12-16 deer this year…thats harvest target numbers and they would like them all to be doe.
 

Bigslam51

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
25,778
127
Stark County
What Giles said. You have to take into consideration what's going on around you. Go knock on your neighbors door, introduce yourself, and ask what their numbers are like and what they are going to shoot. Hell ya never know, could even lead to a signed permission slip.
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
Just going but what the original poster said of limited neighbors and no one shot any deer in 2 years. There seems to be enough deer to take couple does.
 

Bigslam51

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
25,778
127
Stark County
But he only knows about the guys on the 300 acres not killing anything in 2 years. That's a small chunk compared to the amount of land on the other sides of him. My question is, why haven't those guys killed any deer?
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
We stopped killing does in 2010 when I was lucky to 4-5 does on cam. This year, I'm getting 11 at times. I'm managing 80 acres and have run of the 50 next to us. IMO, you need to lay off the does and just relax. Things are cyclical. Let the does repopulate and work on making more bucks. Continue to improve your farm and make it more appealing. Eventually you will see your hard work pay off. Also keep in mind that it's early still. If you still have no shooters on cam a month from now, then I'd worry. Until then, leave the does alone and let them draw the bucks in. If you still think you could stand to kill one come late season, you can run a camera survey and make that call then. IMO, your doe population is fine and could stand to increase a little bit.

Keep in mind I'm letting does walk because I want to see deer when I hunt. We also have an abundance of food, so I'm not worried about the impact of higher numbers. And even with those doe numbers, my buck to doe ratio is roughly 1:3 or 4 which I feel is perfectly acceptable.
 

motorbreaker

*Supporting Member I*
1,542
63
North of Toledo
Like Jesse said. wait till after the rut and shoot a few if there is still a bunch around. To many doe can make for a slow rut. Were going to shoot a bunch this year hopefully.
 

ajupsman

*Supporting Member*
811
70
New Hampshire
I read somewhere if you're hunting just for meat, and you have a choice, shoot a young doe. Leave the mature does with a good breeding history in your herd.
 

at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,943
139
thank you all for the posts. Jesse I was hoping you'd weigh in as I know you have don't a fantastic job in increasing the doe numbers at your farm.

some more background on my place.
1. I get almost no vote pictures, once or twice a year only (so they are not killing a lot of deer)
2. On the farms around me they are almost only gun hunted. With the area being clear cut they are hunting a much smaller portion near my farm. They seem to be hunting the backside of their farm now which is over a mile away. I don't believe they are killing many deer as I hardly hear any shots.
3. Last year they did do a small drive. I watched 7 deer get pushed from the clearcut/large farm property line and run right by me.
4. My other neighbors haven't killed any because we all talked about the population. We believed that the does needed sometime and we all passed. However my one neighbor last year mentioned how many does he was getting on camera, and said it was way up. I noticed the same thing.
5. The 500acre clear cut is hunted by guys from the east coast. They told me they are only buck hunters and didn't kill a deer last year.


So here is my thought. I am thinking I have plenty of deer that if I killed on it won't negativly effect anything. I also have a lot of farms to hunt and public land so I probably won't shoot one off my place. I do have a young cousin who hasn't killed in years, and just moved to Ohio for a job. I am really wanting to get him on a deer, and there isn't a better place I can think of then the farm I know like the back of my hand.
 
I have not let anyone take a doe at my place since 2013. I took one that year in the second weekend of gun season. I did this only to give my step son some venison. This year I told my step son he could take a doe anytime during or after gun season. I will most likely never take a doe again. My area gets enough killed on neighboring properties during gun season.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
If you want a doe for meat, I'd kill one elsewhere. That's what I've done the past several years. I would think getting your cousin on one is a great thing to do and will have no adverse effects on your doe herd. I'd try to get him to kill an old doe that may not have fawns, or only one. My gut feeling is you're right, the overall population is good for the area and killing one doe is no big deal. However I would proceed with caution until it's obvious that they have rebounded.

With our situation right now, I plan to kill a doe off the farm. I've not shot a deer off the farm since 2007, so I'm due. I also got in the freezer last night and saw I only had 4 pounds of ground meat left and no snack sticks. That's unacceptable. So look for me to kill a doe off the farm this fall! First one since opening day of the 2010 season, which was my buddies first bow kill. Time to spill a little blood out there!
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
If you want meat for your freezer, I wouldn't see one missing doe hurting your population. Nothing scientific to back that. Just my opinion. Your farm, your tag, your call. If you want one and have the option of taking one elsewhere. . . Seems like a no brainer to take one elsewhere if your population is a concern.
 

at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,943
139
How many fawns are you seeing? How many fawns are does?
I have seen what liberal limits and eager hunters can do.

I actually only have seen one button buck this year. And I have a lot of fawns on camera.

I'd say most does are 2.5-4.5 have one that is just a big old hog head with a dark coat.

I just don't think in Appalachia I'll ever see numbers like they see in Knox county. I know guys who used to see 30+ deer at a time in that area.

I really believe the numbers around my place are healthy but love getting opinions. I think I have a lot of smaller family groups.

Either way I think I am going to lay off this year to see how highly I can get the numbers.

I did have a few bean plots this year. They did very well and produced a lot of beans. I have exclusion fences up and the deer ate about a foot up per acre off the beans.

Thank you all on inputs.