Managing
Editor
The hunter backed a little
deeper into the small spruce he was using for concealment and peered closer at
the movement in a small thicket 100 yards west of his stand.
He
had just watched a group of six deer run full-speed into the far end of the
thicket. Experience told him that the group would walk through the thicket and
break across a field toward the stand of hardwoods behind him.
The
hunter was positioned between the deer and their destination. Since deer live in
a matriarchal society, it stood to reason that the lead deer in all-antlerless
group would be the largest doe. That and the fact that she had the longest legs.
The
group cautiously exited the thicket then burst into full gallop toward the cover
of the hardwoods. Without hesitation the hunter singled out the lead deer and
fired.
The
story would never be considered for Outdoor
Life or Sports Afield because the
animal didn’t wear any fancy headgear. The hairy-chested logic of the deer
hunter dictates that the only acceptable quarry is a buck with large antlers.
But
this doe dressed out at around 150 pounds, meaning nearly 70 pounds of boned,
lean meat. And venison from does contain less calories than that from bucks.
Besides, there are those who would argue that meat – not a trophy rack – is
the only justifiable reason for killing.
“Anybody
can shoot a doe”, sneer the cynics. Some luckless hunters would debate that.
But it is true that anterless deer are more abundant than those with horns. In
perfect habitat there are five antlerless deer (mature does, yearling does and
their fawns) for every antlered (18 months or older) buck.
Certainly
sheer numbers make antlerless deer less of a challenge. That’s what makes the
stag the symbol of the hunt. Even the most conscientious hunter cannot be
expected to pass up a buck for a doe. The argument isn’t there, but rather
with the hunter who refuses to “lower” himself or herself to legally
shooting a doe.
That
mentality is actually lowering the odds of seeing large-racked bucks. If you
want to see more bucks, the does must be thinned out. Doe hunting is the most
efficient management tool ever devised.
“Doe
shooting decimates the herd. A farmer doesn’t get rid of his cows”.
True,
overshooting does can be devastating to the herd. Game managers use antlerless
permits to trim the herd because each adult doe taken in the hunting season
reduces next spring’s potential by three animals (the doe and two expected
fawns).
But
a responsible degree of doe shooting is absolutely essential for the health of
the bucks and the herd overall. For example, each season in many heavily hunted
northern states, between 78 and 82 percent of the mature (antlered) bucks are
killed. The male fawns therefore must be given every chance to grow up and
bolster the herd. But the survival rate for fawns in the wild slightly favors
does, since young bucks have a higher rate of metabolism and therefore starve
easier.
If
the doe population is not trimmed to give males better odds in the competition
for food, there simply will be fewer bucks. Not only do does eat forage that
male fawns need to survive, but their numbers reduce the amount of forage
available for adult bucks. And nutrition is a major factor in antler
development.
Also,
a report from a team of wildlife biologists with the Pennsylvania Game
Commission shows that undernourished does from overpopulated regions have far
more female fawns than males – while well-nourished does tend to give birth to
a preponderance of male offspring.
The
ideal male-female ratio is 1:1 and the big buck harvest tips Mother Nature’s
scales so much that something has to be done to compensate.
Equal
rights pertains to all. Today’s hunter can’t afford to be sexist.