Doe's Are Deer Too !!!

As a young Boy I was allowed at age 10 to go along on hunting trips with my Dad & older brothers. As I remember the stories my Dad would tell us about how hunters in Vermont rarely would ever take a Doe. I now believe that back then, in Vermont you weren't allowed to cull Doe's . My Dad & all his brothers, hunting buddies etc. back then wouldn't hear of it , taking doe's was just a no no . Well times have changed & for many good reasons as the deer herds have Greatly increased over the years at least here in NY . Vermont a place were you would think there would be a massive deer herd there, well it is just not the case , be it lack of good conservation efforts etc., the state just doesn't carry the size deer herd you would expect for such a beautiful state, though has the capacity to do so. However when you do score a buck in Vermont! its usually a very nice sized animal depending where you hunt, with some real bruisers they call ('Ridge Runners') there . With a mountainous region that stands second to none in beauty & forage. And a farm industry that appears to thrive ,still It just seems that DEC of Vermont needs to follow suit of other states where through the combination of conservation / hunter efforts, the deer herd would grow at a more suitable pace and size for hunters in Vermont. As well as of deer hunters abroad in search of quality whitetail hunting . Of which would in turn bring financial gain overall & out of state hunters flocking to this beautiful hunting reagion . Anyhow with the ever expanding deer herds here in NY & about the country, Through good hunter / Conservation efforts & trying to keep the buck doe ratio at a levels that allows Bruiser Bucks & doe's to grow to be Bruisers. In Order for that to have come, Doe culling has long become a part of deer hunting in states with a fantastic deer population such as New York State . The deer herd here in NY is at or above a million deer which is & has been for several years now. At an exceptable level where there is sufficient food sources to maintain a herd that size, & through Hunting doe's, hunters & good conservation efforts we now have a deer population that stands second to none. Due to hunter & conservation efforts Doe hunting has played a very significant role in this ever expanding deer herd. Doe's are the deal for me as I have to tell you & most hunters are already aware of this fact, Doe's are much more tender at any age, opposed to the wily old buck. The majority of does don't get as large as the Bucks , There are some BIG doe's as big as some Bucks I've seen & Taken through the years , In fact I rarely ever hung a doe to tenderize more than a day or two. I usually process them immediatly or ASAP they are tender as can be right from the time you take them. Doe's unlike the big macho bucks don't go through All the heavy rutting activity, with rubbing trees & sparring / fighting, to strengthen their neck / bodies etc. in order to be able to have bragging rights in the breeding season . However all this pre season activity , which toughens not only their bodies muscles etc. it goes into the venison itself. As all this rutting activity plays a role in toughning the buck meat as well, which is one of the reasons hunters hang them for a period after taking them, to help tenderize the meat by aging it. Myself & brothers / hunting buddies usually take a doe every year however we move around & take doe's from various areas we hunt, not from the same place year after year. We Try & keep the buck doe ratio around my property & my brothers along with most all the surrounding neighbors who hunt in & around the area about nearly even as we are able. This in turn brings us some very big deer & not to mention Big racked bucks. We are in a good farming area & the food sources around here are very abundant. Our deer herd is very stable now because we pass up on the smaller bucks instead of taking them year after year. And being allowed to live 3 or 4 years produces some very impressive size animals as well as huge racked Bucks. The deer herd in our area especially the doe population was out of control for several years. Myself & brothers got together with most of his neighbors who hunted & decided if we culled alot of the doe's out as to stabilize the buck / doe ratio we would then in a few years have an awseome herd, as just in our area alone about 3 square miles there were about anywhere from 100 to 300 does & all we were seeing & taking year after year were smaller class deer. So for about three years we only shot doe's . In turn this area is now & has been producing huge deer year after year. And barring a very (Severe Winter Kill) will continue to produce big deer, with 200 lbs doe's not uncommon. We have been Blessed as well with very mild winters for several years now & this helps keep the buck / doe plentiful and in check as well. So remember Doe's are deer too & you need to cull doe's as well as buck to maintain a good size population of Bigger deer overall and insure good forage for them all through the year .

I hope you got some insight into the understanding that in order to produce good sized deer, you must hunt doe's as well as Bucks & if the doe's get to be alot larger in herd size you may want to consider hunting only doe's for a couple of years as we did. Or invite some friends to get together & organize a few deer drives in order to reduce the size of the doe herd & make the buck/ doe ratio more compatable so you end up producing bigger & better quality Deer & food sources to sustain them overall in the years proceeding. It has worked for us in our particular area's we hunt & I believe that it can & will work for you givin time & patience along with culling doe's

So Until Next Time May You Have A Safe & Great Hunt!!! Incude Your Young Ones It Will Help To Preserve the Great Outdoors for Many Genertations to come !!!

Wally