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late doe season!!!! will it ever go away?

E

earthscratcher

New Member
the late doe season was brought in by the dnr to bring the deer numbers down!it is a great management tool in the right hands, the problem is that only about ten percent of the rifle community,use it properly.examples sit in shooting house identify shed bucks and button bucks and kill at extreme yardages does only!inproper examples, shoot deer on drives one group i know 6 out of 15 deershot were shed bucks,these are bucks that made it through the season folks!maybe even one you or i passed up during the regular season.the rifle season just puts guns in the wrong hands examples,drove by a offlimits farm yesterday there is a doe laying head up with spine blown in half,they just left it, then a dnr guy has to waste a a whole day sitting on this deer waiting for someone to come back,what a waste.also know of other situations where guys have intentionaly shot huge shed bucks just to spite the big land manager guys,this isnt hunting folks its just killing!is the late doe season working? some maybe, drove around the block last night seen at least 80 deer,and there is only 60 tags left for my county.the problem with the late doe is that the herd is already stressed to many does for bucks to breed,food tapped out,does carrying new fawns in them,!the stress is already done to the deer thus lots of shed bucks!so we try kill more does,kind of hard when the doe numbers increase every day until finally they are all does around march1.i would like to see some type of season in september preferably bow, i would be willing to bet that not one shed buck would be shot.thus target animal is taken ,stress has not happened to the herd, less shed bucks during late rifle. i cannot wait to see the total number of shed bucks this year,it is going to be a joke!!!!!!!
 
yeah im so itching to hunt come september i would love to be able to take a doe that early. bow or muzzleloader would be great, and no big bucks would be killed by mistake. late january antlerless is an idiotic season.
 
Looking at the Iowa DNR website as of today there have been 1693 shed buck harvests reported and 15,215 button bucks! Sickening!

DNR Harvest Link

Scroll to the bottom to see the year to date totals.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Skully</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Looking at the Iowa DNR website as of today there have been 1693 shed buck harvests reported and 15,215 button bucks! Sickening!

DNR Harvest Link

Scroll to the bottom to see the year to date totals. </div></div>

I hate to see the button and shed bucks getting shot just like the rest of you but how will an earlier season keep the button bucks from getting shot? I thought 1693 shed bucks was not very many since everyone is seeing a lot of bucks already shed out and half racks?
 
So I really guess you guys would hate me if I said that I rarely pass a button buck? Heck, they taste good. O don't worry, I shoot moma first.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: risto</div><div class="ubbcode-body">but how will an earlier season keep the button bucks from getting shot? </div></div>

that will be easy in September..... Spots /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
That's 33,816 sheds that will never be found next year. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: THA4</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: risto</div><div class="ubbcode-body">but how will an earlier season keep the button bucks from getting shot? </div></div>

that will be easy in September..... Spots /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
</div></div>

Do the buttons have different spots than their sisters??
 
the button bucks are easily spotted this time of year smooth coat no buttons shoot away. i am at 23 no button bucks. glass look for slick heads and shoot,that is why i like the bow up close and personal.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: nannyslayer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">So I really guess you guys would hate me if I said that I rarely pass a button buck? Heck, they taste good. O don't worry, I shoot moma first.</div></div>
Might taste good, but personally i'd rather eat tag soup.


As for the shed bucks getting shot, I blame that on ourselves (the hunters). I feel the late rifle season is a good tool to manage the deer herd if used properly, however, its not in many cases (1,600+)

It is our responsibility to identify our target (shed buck or not) before we pull the trigger. I understand it is possible to make a mistake, but some of the practices used during this rifle season do not help the cause, such as pushing deer with a group. A group of six did this in my area this year, and of the six deer they harvested three were shed out.

If we take our time to identify our target (100%) before we pull the trigger, then we would not have the problems that we are having now.
 
I know of several shed bucks killed during shotgun season and I was told by an officer that 7 shed bucks were killed in the archery season... might be some reporting issues too. I hunt an early urban hunt and the last 2 weeks of Sept are too early. I shot 4 buttons and couldn't tell until I spread the legs, at least this time of year I have a chance to look for bumps on the head. Keep the late season and educate the average hunter. As already said, know your target and there isn't a problem. The guys that don't care will end up with the local herd they are working for... junk!
 
Personally, I haven't seen much of an effect by me shooting 2 or 3 button bucks a year off of 3200 acres. I have however killed more than a dozen mature doe's and 1 doe fawn.

Also, if me shooting a few button bucks a year is screwing someone elses hunting up, let me know, and I will quit.

And really, the more I think about it, I am deer hunting. Sometimes I am just hunting for a "deer". Sorry if Me going out and having an awesome hunt, which is ended with a harvested button buck upsets somebody. I really don't see the problem.
 
I don't think anyone said they were mad at you for shooting a button buck, so no need to apoligize. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif Didn't mean for my above statements to offend you. Like you stated, sometimes we are just out there trying to get a deer. Where I hunt, the does are plenty and I see it as a 'waste' to fill them on a button buck when I can shoot a doe fairly easily. Just my opinion. I have shot a few button bucks before, but not intentional. You just never know what they may turn into in three more years!
 
That wasn't directed to you sureshot. It sometimes bugs me when people complain so much about a button buck getting shot (as you were not, just stating your opinion). I'm not sure why I feel that way, but just always have about fawns. They are great table fair, and seems that I see more button buck fawns than I do doe fawns. Sure, he could have been the next world record, but he won't be now /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

I don't like seeing shed bucks shot anymore than the rest of you guys. I have never shot one, and hopefully never do. I take a few seconds before I squeeze the trigger just to check out the deer, and seldom shoot a "doe" late season that is by theirself.
 
All I know is I will be down there laying them down this weekend!! I love this season. Its not hard to tell a doe from a shed buck, but there are alot of guys out there that shoot first and ask questions later. The problem is most guys don't even carry a pair of binoculars with them. Heck I will glass a deer for 10 minute just to make dang sure its a doe. Its a good tool in the right hands like mentioned above.

As far as a doe hunt in September, I think it would be a joke as far as getting the numbers the DNR wants. I wouldn't hunt it. Its way too hot and just not fun to hunt in. You would probably end up with a doe season in September and January because I don't think many would participate in it and once we have a season, they aren't going to take it back.
 
Monday we had 18 deer come into the locker, 6 shed bucks 5 buttons and 7 does. It does upset me but it is their tag. I always ask if they knew it was a buck and they always say they don't really care. It really is to bad!
 
The whole thing makes me sick. I'll bet there are people out there shooting dandys and knocking the antlers off them too. Guaranteed. Some people just want to get out and blast some deer with the rifle. Shoot, leave it, move on and find another. I had a guy actually tell me this at the bar last week. I wanted to throw up.
 
has far has kicking the horns i have seen it done,i watch the guy walkup, kick at each side wammo a doe of he went after another doe.talked to the local taxidermist he said that he is not getting the quality of bucks he used to out of the southern two counties,well i wonder why,all the 10000 deer if you poach one by the states standards, are getting hammered legally.the goal of this season is to get the deer numbers down, it is not working across the board,talked to a guy last night,he was in keokuk county not a high deer area traditionally,he said he drove around the block and seen a hundrend deer.he said the problem is tyed up ground ,deer go where they are not hunted or managed only for bucks, well the early doe season would help there also,you do not get your land owner any deer tag unless you shoot a certain number of does.look at the city hunts they are all about getting done right away thus deer are not stressed and shed later,talked to a guy in desmoines no sheds all bucks still carrying me i am 20 picked up so far.has for getting rid of late doe i doubt it,we really can not to anything much later but there are lots of opportunities early.talked to my neighbor who is just starting not hardcore like me he said he would love early doe because when he is out during regular bow he is worried about a buck behind the doe he would like to shoot
 
Here's what I got this year:

Shotgun Season: 1 doe, 1 button buck (thought it was a doe)
Muzzy Season, 1 doe
Late Season, 3 does

I hate like heck when I see that i've shot a button buck, because I know thats a potential trophy for someone. I don't shoot bucks, don't really care to ever shoot them.

I am trying to learn to distinguish between a yearling doe and a button buck, but I tell you I haven't got it yet. I don't get 10 mintues to watch them when they are walking by in the woods, I mabye get 30 seconds from the time they go from ridge to draw and not all of that is shooting window.

This year I started examining the fetus inside the late season does I shot. (go see the thread here) Even if you shoot a doe, you most likely are taking a future buck out of the picture anyway. One doe had 3 fetus (2 doe, 1 buck). Another doe had 2 fetus(1 doe 1 buck), and the last doe had 1 fetus (a buck). So right there by shooting does, 3 future bucks will never happen.

So I took 3 does out of the population, 3 future does, and 3 future bucks, so population would be reduced by 9 total. Had I shot 3 button bucks instead, population would only be reduced by 3. So by shooting buttons, your deer population is going to keep growing, and in this case the number of bucks would still be 3. Shot 3 but the does that didn't get shot would give birth to 3.

So really, is there any solution to this problem? Shooting does that are only carrying doe babies is the only real way to get the buck population to increase. Anybody got any way to tell when you are looking at a doe if she is carrying a buck or doe fetus?
 
Greg,
I really do not think so.

From somewhere I read that percentage wise I think the younger ones have more bucks
while the older horse headed does usually have more does.

Other than that it would be interesting to see what others know.
 
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