My love/hate relationship with this old doe

[Missouri CK]

Nice story.  I love reading these types of post.  Nice work and good pics.

CK

[awbowman]

An old doe can be one hard girl to take down.  CONGRATS!

[Roger Norris]

Nice job! Those old does can be tough. I have noticed in areas practicing QDM, the does get smarter, and the bucks (the little ones) get dumber.

[Robhood23]

I hear you brother! I have a doe that is the same way. She will come in and blow 30-40 times but just hang around and blow without running away feeding the entire time. It doesn't seem to bother the other deer though becouse they just come through like nothing is wrong!

[Greg Szalewski]

Good for you Doug. On the ground with a stick bow, it don't get better than that.

[Ybuck]

Great kill. So much respect for the old does here.
Congratulations!!!

[twitchstick]

Now thats a trophy! If you can get an old and wise doe like that you know your doing something right.

[getstonedprimitivebowhunt]

...love hunting thoses old does....tough stuff there !!! Great Job !!!

[americanhunter7]

Congrats on a fine looking Matriarch Doe.  

[jonsimoneau]

I'm very curious as to your setup on the ground!  I have hunted more times on the ground this season than I have all my years of hunting combined.  I have been using a ghillie suit.  It is FUN!  But I gotta say..it is tough...at least for me largely because of my inexperience in ground hunting.  I have been able to fool plenty of bucks while in the ghillie, but on the ground...those big old matriarch does seem to pick me off every time...no matter what I do!  Did you setup so that she would walk past you before you shoot?  This is what I have been trying to do lately. Would love to hear the story.

[ti-guy]

Congrats! Great trophy  

[Morning Star]

That old girl is more of a trophy than many a young buck.  Nice work Doug!

[Roger Norris]

Kinda sad when its over, huh?

[KellyG]

Well she is a true trophy for sure.

[Shortlongbow]

Congratation! Taking that wise old doe, on the ground no less, is quite an acomplishment.

It's kinda cool when you see the same one enough to develop a relationship with them.

Congrats!

Bisch

[Burnsie]

I got a big old doe one year off public ground, and at the time I was required to bring them to a check in station because they were doing a test/study for CWD.  They aged the deer and said it was around 8-9 years old!  I believe the only reason I got her was because she was being chased hard by a buck and I was quick enough on the draw when she happened to stop momentarily by my stand.  I had similar old does that same week bust me from 75-100 yds away. They were really conditioned to spotting out of place abjects in trees.  Very nice job getting that ol' matriarch sir.

[Ray Lyon]

Yes, those big old gals are tough.  I'm just finishing Charlie Kroll's whitetail management book and he states that the old does will stop producing fawns and therefore are a habitat drain for the good of the herd and should be harvested.  Of course, he didn't comment on how hard that is to do, especially with a bow!!!!

I echo all the comments above regarding the old girls.  They've certainly been around the block. I tagged an nice old doe at our deer camp this year.  She came through with two other does and two single fawns of theirs and this was after I had spent 5 hours in the stand (it was about 12:30 in the afternoon and I was on stand well before first light). I was in a triple truck oak tree and I had a large limb in front of me from the direction they had come from and my back was against a large limb too.  She was on pins and needles and this was my first time in the stand, but we'd been hunting the area for about a week at that point. Roger Norris and one other guy in camp had seen this group running the property as well.  It certainly feel satisfying to match wits with these deer and come back with a true trophy.  

Congratulations on your accomplishment and thanks for the story.        

[joevan125]

Thats great to be seeing her for that many years and finally harvest her with a stick and string. Its a lot like killing a old smart buck, good job.

[jonsimoneau]

Doug, thanks for your P.M.  This year during the early season I had a doe come to me that was so big I thought for sure it had to be a buck.  That and the fact she was alone.  She got in range, but I was still convinced it just had to be a buck with no antlers for some reason?  I frantically tried to figure it out with my binos, when a deer approached from downwind and blew the whole setup.  I mean this doe is huge, and has no fawns with here.  
   Two night ago, I was in the same area about 300 yards from where I had the first encounter with her.  I had not seen a single deer.  Then just before dark I hear a lone deer approaching.  I'm on the ground in a Ghillie suit.  Assuming it had to be a buck coming since it was alone, I got ready.  The deer stepped into view about 60 yards away, and I realized it was that same huge doe I had seen in October!  Even in my Ghillie, and no exposed skin, and with good cover in front and behind me, she picked me off immediately!  I'm heading out tonight to try to even the score!