Why I like to shoot does...

Derek Spotted This Deer Sunday November 14th

"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, o panteth my soul after thee, O God. Psalm 42:1

Shooting does is all about the numbers. If I decide that I am only going to shoot a bucks, I may spend the entire season before I get a shot.  That means that whenever I am in the woods, the odds of me getting a shot off is about 2%.  But, if I'm after does, the odds go up to about 25 to 40% every time I enter the woods. That just seems to make more sense. 

A further bonus for hunting does is that you have more opportunity to harvest deer and fill the freezer. If you only hunt the big bucks you may go weeks between shots. This has a way of making me more susceptible to 'buck fever' and wasting shots.  By harvesting does I can preserve my hunting instinct and improve my shot placement. More importantly, I get more time in the woods which makes me understand the patterns the deer have and what I can do to improve my percentages year after year.

As my friend Derek says, shooting does is good for the herd.  Thinning out the population of does and allowing bucks to mature enables you to have some beautiful bucks to harvest in the future. It becomes your own game preserve. Another reason is If you hunt in an area where the doe numbers are high, the farmers and local landowners are paying the price.  They will all appreciate it if you take some does out.  

So, if you can resist harvesting those yearling bucks and wait, not only will you have monster bucks for the future but you increase your chances of having meat in the freezer this year.

Best of luck this season,

Jeff Barnes