About felt guilty

[Pine]

Several years ago I was invited to hunt a co-workers farm .
We both had gone back to his wooded area in the early morning .
We came back to the far house about 11:00am and as I steped past the corner of the barn , there was a doe with a fawn standing about 15 yards away .
I stopped grabbed an arrow and just stood there , the other guy said " go ahead " .
I hesitated because it was not my property and it was so near the house .
So I put an arrow right in the boiler room and she ran about 30 yards and folded up .
Now for the part of the story that kinda made me feel bad ....
I rolled her over on her back and started to split the belly open and her fawn walked up to me and was looking over my right shoulder .     :confused:  
I literally pushed it away with my elbow .
It then stood there and just watched .     :(  
I'm so glad that wasn't my first deer harvest , I'm not sure if I could have ever deer hunted again .
That's the only time I have had that happen .
There was one other time I had a fawn run after its mama but it took off when I started over to it .

[Michael Arnette]

If it didn't have spots it wasn't a "fawn" I call it a yearling. I'd have felt the same though, we as predators do feel the need for mercy sometimes.

[Shadowhnter]

Ugh....

[CoachBGriff]

The first deer I ever shot with archery gear (wrong kind) orphaned triplets.  

I watched those same three triplets about three different times the rest of that fall/winter, and they all seemed to be doing just fine.

I understand  your dilemma though.

[Pine]

I'm going to add , the guy I was hunting with was a compound shooter and he was amazed that I could kill a deer with a 50# recurve , let alone that quickly .

[BAK]

There is what the law tells us, and there is what our internal control mechanism tells us.

[CRM_95]

Yeah that would be kinda sad. I've shot grown does before and had the fawn stick around, but never that close. And by fawn I don't mean a spotted fawn but rather what lots of folks refer to as a yearling. Here in Texas it's extremely rare to see a spotted fawn after bow season opens. Honestly they will more than likely be fine on their own, but I can see how that would be tough!!

[Burly]

I am not bashing you , but that's why I don't and won't shoot any doe with yearlings. I will never be that hungry. But that's just me.

[Shadowhnter]

Just shoot the yearling right?... reverse this instance, then pay attention to how much ma doe cares about that yearling....its all about self preservation to her, and no warm fuzzy feelings.

[Slickhead]

wow , tough story
I may have been done at that point.

Couple three years ago I shot a deer in gun season with my 44 pistol.
Hit it bad and it took a while to expire.
I felt its pain.

I guess Im getting softer in my old age (in more ways than one)
What never bothered me before , does now.

[tippit]

Almost any doe in the fall will have or had a yearling from the spring some where with it...you just may not see it.  They are already weaned.

[CRM_95]

Originally posted by Shadowhnter:
Just shoot the yearling right?... reverse this instance, then pay attention to how much ma doe cares about that yearling....its all about self preservation to her, and no warm fuzzy feelings.

Very true!!

[CRM_95]

Originally posted by tippit:
Almost any doe in the fall will have or had a yearling from the spring some where with it...you just may not see it.  They are already weaned.

This is true too. I hear a lot of folks talk about "barren" does when they see a doe alone. I'm sure there are a few out there. But it's far more likely her fawn is already weaned, been shot, ran over by a car, killed by predators, etc..Also a lot of times during the rut you will see fawns by themselves because a buck will have the mom locked down somewhere else.

[newhouse114]

I've talked to many a european hunter and at least in Germany, they are required to harvest the young animal rather than the adult doe. It is done to maintain population levels in small areas and to leave the proven animal alive and take out the one most likely to die from whatever cause during the winter.

[Fletcher]

Originally posted by Michael Arnette:
If it didn't have spots it wasn't a "fawn" I call it a yearling. I'd have felt the same though, we as predators do feel the need for mercy sometimes.

Actually, Graps is correct, it is a fawn.  They aren't yearlings until they are a year old next spring.

I've orphaned a few fawns and choose not to do it anymore.  They are weened and won't starve, but without the mature doe, who will teach them to survive winter, predators and the boogy man hiding in the trees.  The yearling doe, now 1 1/2 years old and often without a fawn is definitely on my shooter list.

One year on a nice late October day, I was about 50 yards from my van, heading home for lunch.   A doe came over the hill with in feet of me.  She stopped making all kinds of noise, she went right past me back down the slope towards the road.  Coming up the road was a woman with two dogs. In the ditch were her fawns.  I was impressed that she was so bonded to those little ones that she would repeatedly take such a risk.  I had lots of doe tags from the farmer, but I could no longer shoot adult does with fawns.  I took a couple of year and a half does that I was certain had no fawns.  Later that same year, just before Christmas, in the dark on the way home, it was extremely cold and windy, a doe and a tiny little fawn with spots crossed in front of me while I was at a stop sign.  They both looked like they were in trouble, I felt terrible for them.  I am guessing that doe was bred extremely late, I have never seen such a young one that late before.  I have not shot a doe since unless I was sure that she had no fawns.  Late in the season a doe with button bucks is not very attached to them, but I will not shoot any doe that could possibly have a fawn in early season, until I am positive that she is dry with no fawns.

[stagetek]

I had an experience very similar happen to me some years back. The fawns never got that close, but watched me walk all the way to the dead doe. They hung around for awhile like they didn't know what to do and finally left. I felt bad, and still do when I think about it. I've shot does since then, but never one with fawns.

[Possum Head]

Cool story, certainly not one I'll go share with the wife. I've weaned one before and got over it quick enough. Truth is I've probably done it more than I know as I jump younguns by themselves many times while Mom's out cruisin.

[sticks&stringz]

Originally posted by Fletcher:
 

Originally posted by Michael Arnette:
If it didn't have spots it wasn't a "fawn" I call it a yearling. I'd have felt the same though, we as predators do feel the need for mercy sometimes.

Actually, Graps is correct, it is a fawn.  They aren't yearlings until they are a year old next spring.

I've orphaned a few fawns and choose not to do it anymore.  They are weened and won't starve, but without the mature doe, who will teach them to survive winter, predators and the boogy man hiding in the trees.  The yearling doe, now 1 1/2 years old and often without a fawn is definitely on my shooter list. [/b]

lol i dont think we want them to know about the boogy man in the trees    :D

[Red Beastmaster]

"Actually, Graps is correct, it is a fawn. They aren't yearlings until they are a year old next spring."

Correct!

Fawns are less than one year old. Yearlings are between one and two years old.