Doe Hunting Techniques, whats your's?

[the not so straight arrow]

we all here about how to get the biggest and best buck on what day of what month in which phase of the rut thanks to all those outdoor magazines out there and tv shows. i feel that little credit is given to hunting the whitetailed doe deer anymore. personally i feel that there are still i pretty challenging animal to hunt and the meat is still great, cant eat antler's right? so just curiouse if anyone would like share some of their favorite techniques for hunting does? lets here it guys.
-cory

[adkmountainken]

for does i hunt the food source, acorns, beech and apples. for bucks i hunt bedding areas and when the rut starts (like now) i go back to hunting the doe areas as the bucks will be soon to follow.

[E. Texas HillBilly]

I too hunt the food source, usually near the bedding areas, having water around does not hurt either. Hope this helps.
                       -Hillbilly

[Stone Knife]

Food for me also, and funnel areas between good cover, hoping for the buck to run a doe by me there. I have a couple spots that every season I have does running under my stand, it's just a matter of getting them to stop in the right spot, I like to pay close attention to what I see from season to season and try not to forget any of it.

[Desperado]

Pass on them all!! I never shoot a doe! Can't have the bucks without the does! Every doe you kill could  cost you a big buck potentially in the future!You killed it's future mother!Get as many doe tags as you can and throw them away! Just my 2 cents!Cotton

[Jerry Jeffer]

Cotton, I laugh so hard every time I read your posts on doe hunting. I admire you for sticking to you opinion, but even teachers can be taught some thing new ie. Bio 101.      

[trashwood]

cottonwood - i don't thinks every one has the same opinion and some of them have made very professional study regarding health of the bucks

rusty

[vermonster13]

A herd in balance will produce larger bucks, a more active rut and healthier deer. Bucks and does eat the same food and there is only so much of it to go around.

As stated above, hunt food sources, edges and funnels. Finding does isn't all that hard, killing a mature doe isn't all that easy though either.

[GrnMtnTradNut]

I hunt the food at all times when lookin for does, stay on the hottest food sources for your area, they change through out the fall and you should know enough about your area to have things ready ahead of time to key in on them. I also shoot every doe I can legally get my tags on, herd balance, healthy deer, better rut, and most fawns born within a 2 week period which cuts down on predation loss, and they steal all the food from my bucks the rotten pigs, don't worry cotton between me, my dad, brother and nephew we got 18 doe tags for PA. we will take care of the ones you won't. Were gonna stack um up after christmas.

[Arwin]

Food source and water. I also tune my grunt calls to sound soft. I have a call I modified years ago and it is responsible for many doe in the trunk.

[wingnut]

The best way to hunt does is to find a big buck and follow him.  Heck this time of year he is looking for does and he's a lot better at it then we are.

LOL

P.S. if nature is given it's way.  The buck to doe ratio is 1-1.  Killing all the bucks reduces the amount of bucks in the herd and increases does.  With only so much habitat, well you get the picture.  Not killing does just does not work.

Mike

[GingivitisKahn]

I've been known to throw a tag or two away as well, but I suspect it's for different reasons. :-p

[Desperado]

Jerry...Glad I could give you a chuckle. Can't help but standing pat to my opinion though...One guy I know shot a 10 point in Chester county that weighed 271 pounds and another I know shot a 10 point in Bedford county with a 26 1/2" spread.Two of the neighborhood kids killed beautiful 6 and 7 points respectively and a buddy I teach withkilled a dandy 8 point.(All wheel bows). Know what they'd have if someone had shot those buck's mothers before they were bred and delivered their fawns???? NAAAAAAAAAATHING!!!!!
Rusty...When I was in college (graduate school) I had to do a paper on 2 biographers of a famous person.I was to investigate why they said what they did about that person. My famous person was Henry Ford. One biographer made Ford look like he was Jesus Christ on earth.With further investigation I found out why...He had been comissioned by the Ford Foundation to write the biography. Get the point??? The other biographer made Ford look like he was Satan in the flesh. WHY??? That biographer was related to Ransom Olds. Get the point??
I never forgot that lesson and now I believe what I see with my own eyes and that tells me that game
Biologists (at least in Pa.) are totally in the pockets of the timber companies and create falty deer habitat densities and deer figures to protect  future income from Pa. hardwoods on private and public lands. I believe only about 1% of what game biologists, foresters and Game Commissioners tell us and even less of what they write.
But never you fear...Just because I throw away my tags, to save does the doe population won't explode...The hunters who pound, pound, pound the does will most surely see to that. I just wonder how many future monster bucks were destroyed as well. Never know...Perhaps one of those doe tags I didn't use might provide you with an opportunity at a monster P&Y buck down the road just because I didn't kill her and she was bred by another buck whose mother wasn't killed either!!!In that case...Wouldn't you be glad I did what I did???? You're Welcome!! Cotton

[Jerry Jeffer]

I hunt for venison. The rack is a bonus if I have the chance to get one. I now see why you feel the way you do cottonwood, you like to hunt big bucks.  I just wonder if every doe that gives birth to a buck, will it become a huge buck?  What about inferior genetics? If there are a mess of does around that no one will shoot, will there be enough food for a buck to grow a big rack? Just so many variables to consider. My family has been changing their ways and trying to balance the population of does and bucks on our 600 acre property. In the past few years since we started, the size of the bucks and number of big bucks has increased dramatically. I guess we just got lucky. any way, I like hunting where does are because the bucks will eventually come looking for them.

[DeerSpotter]

Pass me the popcorn, this is going to get pretty interesting.

Can all the studies right now


Carl

[GingivitisKahn]

Originally posted by cottonwood:
But never you fear...Just because I throw away my tags, to save does the doe population won't explode...The hunters who pound, pound, pound the does will most surely see to that. I just wonder how many future monster bucks were destroyed as well. Never know...Perhaps one of those doe tags I didn't use might provide you with an opportunity at a monster P&Y buck down the road just because I didn't kill her and she was bred by another buck whose mother wasn't killed either!!!In that case...Wouldn't you be glad I did what I did???? You're Welcome!! Cotton

By your logic then - how many future monster bucks will never be because you killed their daddy?

I'm just jealous - I'm dropping the string on whatever legal deer the Lord sends my way because, as it turns out - they are all made of meat.

Happy hunting!

   

[**DONOTDELETE**]

If You don't hunt & take DOEs, You are killing the heard..


Hunt like the others have said, Food & water. If You take young ones in the early season and then hunt the mature DOEs after the rut, Your heard will be better then ever.

[Shawn Leonard]

I do just the opposite, ow the rut is started(trolling around here) I will hunt the doe bedding areas. The bucks will be out scent checking them and I will be there. I will hunt the food source once the rut winds down and the bucks are checking for any leftovers. i rarely hunt does in them and themselves. They come more by happenstance. Shawn

[Shawn Leonard]

I also should say that I shoot does but try and shoot doe fawns as I hate to kill 3 deer with one shot by taking a mature doe ya kill the fawns they would of bore in the spring. Shawn

[SOS]

Hunt travel routes/funnels.  When they show up, shoot one!