Daughters first deer with a bow!!! Great footage

[Justin Byers]

Took my 13 year old out for her first this past weekend... Great hunt, good memories, and a newly minted bowhunter!

 

[Stalker69]

I know this won't go over well, but I will not let my sons nor will I shoot a doe with fawns still in spots. I know just a personal thing, but I just don't do it. Congrats to your daughter, and yourself for getting her out there and enjoying hunting.

 

[mtnwrunner]

Yeah, I don't understand that.

Randy

 

[pirogue]

I don’t either

 

[atmat]

Took my 13 year old out for her first this past weekend... Great hunt, good memories, and a newly minted bowhunter!

It’s great footage for sure.

But I (like others have said) wouldn’t feel comfortable take a doe with spotted fawns. Fawns lose spots within 4 months, so they’re still pretty young — even if they’re old enough to survive technically.

 

[Justin Byers]

You are certainly welcome to hunt how you choose, and what you decide to shoot, or not shoot. Everyone hunts different places with varying deer populations and it certainly is not a one size fits all. Let me ask you this.... If we were Michigan hunters and she had shot a fawn as her first would you still criticize? I doubt it.

Wildlife agencies set the dates of hunting seasons and do so with biologic, scientific data/research to support the season dates. When the season opens, the fawns are weaned and are eating forage like any other deer. In areas with high concentrations of deer, such as where this hunt took place, the fawns will be fine and assimilated into the herd. Their diet does not depend on their mother at this point, and their survival skills continue to be acquired by acclimation into the herd. (Not to mention many of them get harvested once rifle season arrives anyway) The rancher on this particular farm is desperate for numbers reduction as he has an irrigated alfalfa field and they are wreaking havoc on his crop, which in turn affects his livelihood.

Additionally, and most important, it is legal. I could have had her shoot the fawn as well and that would be totally within ethical and legal boundaries. While I respect your decisions to not shoot I ask that you do the same with regard to me and mine. I truly believe that this typed of decision is area specific, (i.e,. Big north country woods with little chance for survival vs heavily populated, food rich Ag land) and that the anthropomorphic ideals of Walt Disney's Bambi has regrettably crept into the hunting world.


Best of luck this fall.

 

[atmat]

You are certainly welcome to hunt how you choose, and what you decide to shoot, or not shoot. Everyone hunts different places with varying deer populations and it certainly is not a one size fits all. Let me ask you this.... If we were Michigan hunters and she had shot a fawn as her first would you still criticize? I doubt it.

Wildlife agencies set the dates of hunting seasons and do so with biologic, scientific data/research to support the season dates. When the season opens, the fawns are weaned and are eating forage like any other deer. In areas with high concentrations of deer, such as where this hunt took place, the fawns will be fine and assimilated into the herd. Their diet does not depend on their mother at this point, and their survival skills continue to be acquired by acclimation into the herd. (Not to mention many of them get harvested once rifle season arrives anyway) The rancher on this particular farm is desperate for numbers reduction as he has an irrigated alfalfa field and they are wreaking havoc on his crop, which in turn affects his livelihood.

Additionally, and most important, it is legal. I could have had her shoot the fawn as well and that would be totally within ethical and legal boundaries. While I respect your decisions to not shoot I ask that you do the same with regard to me and mine. I truly believe that this typed of decision is area specific, (i.e,. Big north country woods with little chance for survival vs heavily populated, food rich Ag land) and that the anthropomorphic ideals of Walt Disney's Bambi has regrettably crept into the hunting world.


Best of luck this fall.

No one said you or your daughter shouldn’t shoot them, nor are you being indicted for it. If it’s legal you’re within your right.

We just said we wouldn’t be comfortable taking them, regardless of legality and/or likelihood to survive.

 

[Fordguy]

You are certainly welcome to hunt how you choose, and what you decide to shoot, or not shoot. Everyone hunts different places with varying deer populations and it certainly is not a one size fits all. Let me ask you this.... If we were Michigan hunters and she had shot a fawn as her first would you still criticize? I doubt it.

In Michigan its not legal to shoot a spotted fawn, unless they've changed that part of the regs since I lived there.

Just did a quick Google query and apparently regs have changed.

 

[Justin Byers]

In Michigan its not legal to shoot a spotted fawn, unless they've changed that part of the regs since I lived there.

Just did a quick Google query and apparently regs have changed.

This hunt takes place in Montana.

 

[Justin Byers]

No one said you or your daughter shouldn’t shoot them, nor are you being indicted for it. If it’s legal you’re within your right.

We just said we wouldn’t be comfortable taking them, regardless of legality and/or likelihood to survive.

Ummmm….. guess your definition of indictment and mine are different….. some of the previous comments are certainly casting shade….. maybe not your comment specifically, but certainly the tenor of some others.

Your first comment: “It’s great footage for sure. But I (like others have said) wouldn’t feel comfortable take a doe with spotted fawns”


My question to you is, why even comment on whether or not you would shoot a doe with fawns?

When you give a congrats with a “But” it sure seems like backhanded compliment to me.

 

[cjdewese]

Man the comments in the other thread were so much nicer. I wonder why this one is so different.

Thanks for explaining the situation more in one of your posts Above. Helped me with my question in the other thread.

Best of luck to you for the rest of your season.

 

[TxxAgg]

Congrats to her. Nice shot.

She can afford to be picky when she's 30. At 13, good for her for taking a legal deer with a bow!

 

[Justin Byers]

Congrats to her. Nice shot.

She can afford to be picky when she's 30. At 13, good for her for taking a legal deer with a bow!

Thanks!!!

 

[Justin Byers]

Man the comments in the other thread were so much nicer. I wonder why this one is so different.

Thanks for explaining the situation more in one of your posts Above. Helped me with my question in the other thread.

Best of luck to you for the rest of your season.

Same to you!

 

[atmat]

My question to you is, why even comment on whether or not you would shoot a doe with fawns?

My question to you is, why even post a video of something to a public forum if you’re going to then get upset when people provide an opinion that differs from yours?

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

My question to you is, why even post a video of something to a public forum if you’re going to then get upset when people provide an opinion that differs from yours?

My thoughts exactly.

 

[The Guide]

How many of you have gotten permission to hunt from a land owner based on how many tags you have? Or how many deer you plan to kill? I've gotten permission on multiple private lands that were over run with both whitetails or mule deer based on the fact we planned to kill 3, 5, or 10 deer. These land owners don't want you to kill fawns. They want the does depopulated. I got permission on a private property 2 years ago based on the fact we had 8 doe tags in the party (2 per person) and were told no fawns and don't pull the trigger unless we planned to kill 4 adult does minimum. We killed 5 does in about 3 minutes. When we called back to check out he said we were allowed to come back and hunt again and next time we could take 2 bucks if we killed 3 more does.

Some of these landowners don't want "hunters" they want killers. They want people who can put animals on the ground. If you do it their way they will reward you with additional permissions but if you don't they will either never allow you back or they end up having to call in the state, do "game management hunts" and kill deer from the end of hunting season to the 15th of February pressuri.g the deer during the time of year they are most fragile. The tags on these late hunts are for antlerless deer but you don't know if you are killing a big doe or a big buck who lost their horns already.

This young lady made an excellent shot on a mature animal and will have memories for a lifetime. Congratulations to her and may she enjoy spending time with you in the outdoors for the rest of your life.

Jay

 

[Stalker69]

Ummmm….. guess your definition of indictment and mine are different….. some of the previous comments are certainly casting shade….. maybe not your comment specifically, but certainly the tenor of some others.

Your first comment: “It’s great footage for sure. But I (like others have said) wouldn’t feel comfortable take a doe with spotted fawns”


My question to you is, why even comment on whether or not you would shoot a doe with fawns?

When you give a congrats with a “But” it sure seems like backhanded compliment to me.

Take it as you will, we just said we wouldn’t do it. If that’s your gig, and it’s legal so be it. Now if I was staving, yea of course. I believe you mentioned it was population control, cool, but I believe you also said she could have taken one of the fawns in addition . ( I am assuming, you have multiple tags). If in deed it was population control you were doing, why didn’t she take a fawn, or both fawns if legal ? I know we shoot coyotes for control, and we try to not let a single one walk away. I mean, you posted the video, you had to expect some back lash. I think every comment I have read here is way better ( mundane) then I expected many to be.

 

[tntrker]

Wow....why would you not instruct a minor to not kill a doe WITH spotted fawns, that are probably still dependant on nursing? I see a video where two heartless hunters killed a doe and left two fawns to starve or be killed easily by a predatior. 3 deer killed in that video imo...not so great footage imo..

 

[atmat]

Wow....why would you not instruct a minor to not kill a doe WITH spotted fawns, that are probably still dependant on nursing? I see a video where two heartless hunters killed a doe and left two fawns to starve or be killed easily by a predatior. 3 deer killed in that video imo...

Even though I said I wouldn’t do it, it’s legal in a lot of places. And fawns become foragers very quickly. It’s entirely likely these were already fully nursed.

I still wouldn’t do it, but it’s not a death sentence for the fawns