Deer hunting is filled with hot-button issues. In some crowds, shooting does is one of those, and many hunters are found on one of two extremes. In some circles, it’s more than expected to fill not one doe tag, but many. To them, it’s a necessity for maintaining proper population densities and ratios. In other circles, killing a doe is akin to shooting an endangered species.
There are numerous reasons why antlerless harvest can spark such heated debates. At its core, shooting a buck removes one deer from the herd. Shooting a doe removes one doe plus any future offspring she would have produced.
Furthermore, in some parts of the country, deer numbers are declining. Of course, that isn’t true everywhere. Still, should we consider a ceasefire on antlerless deer? The answer is yes, no, and maybe.
WHEN TO SHOOT DOES
There are numerous reasons and scenarios why hunter should shoot does. Not everyone finds each or any of these reasons to be true for their personal situations. With that being said, many hunters do.
The first and most obvious reason is if a hunter wants to fill the freezer with meat. That alone is plenty enough reason to pull the trigger on a slickhead. When that’s the
