Honestly who shoots fawns?

[Code-Man]

My old man and I have the theory of letting the deer grow up and hopefully get something big instead of just shooting a deer. But HONESTLY who shoots fawns? I can't justify it unless your starving but can anyone justify shooting a fawn? Or is it just me?

Sorry just my .02

Code-Man

[deerhuntr8]

I don't understand why people shoot fawns either. Unless someone mistakes one for an adult or just wants to kill something. I would rather let it grow for the next year.

[gorrilla]

The only reason I recommend letting fawns walk is half of them are bucks. When guys are trying to cull the herd in areas that need it or someone with little experience who shoots one, there is nothing wrong with that in my eyes...

[iffwalleyes]

I have no problem with it. A fawn is a legal deer to take. It is fine that you don't wish to take one but anyone else with proper tags has the right to them and I respect that. It might not be in your ethics which is great it isn't in mine either but it doesn't mean it isn't in someone elses.

[cybermuskie]

They sure taste good though, nice and tender! There's nothing wrong with taking or not taking fawns in my book. If your worried that half the fawns are bucks I only bow hunt and I guess I can tell if they are button bucks or does before I shoot. If you cook a chop from a big old doe, and put it on a plate next to a chop from a fawn, you may feel different about shoot a fawn once in awhile. Besides if you shoot only adult doe, what do you have left...fawns. The mature doe is a better breeder in my opinion, thus more fawns. Plus it gives the herd all age classes,not just young doe. I just don't want to see anyone put down cuz they shoot a great eating fawn if they have a tag for it.

[fishane]

I like to put it this way, when I shoot a fawn, I know exactly what I have, a six month old deer that is very tasty. When you shoot a doe, she could be 7 or 8 years old. A few years ago I did a state park anterless only muzzleloader hunt where they aged every deer that was harvested. One hunter brought in a doe that the guy doing the aging estimated at either 9.5 or 10.5 years old. He could not tell for sure exactly how old because her teeth were so worn. You should have seen the look on the hunters face when he found out that the deer he took was only going to be good for stew or sausage. And always when I bowhunt, and usually when gun or muzzloading, I can tell if it is a nubbin buck. Please don't look down on people for legally harvesting any deer. Certainly a stronger case can be made for passing on 1.5 year old bucks than for fawns. I almost never harvest a small buck any more, but I also don't look down on those who do if they are using it to feed their family. I do wonder about hunters (and I know plenty) who look down on people who shoot fawns, but who will shoot every fork horn that they see. I think that there is a lot more honor in shooting and eating a fawn than there is in killing Mr. Big and donating his meat to a food shelf because you like to shoot animals but don't actually like to eat venison.

[Deitz Dittrich]

very well written post!

[BryanL]

I will shoot a doe fawn as my first deer of the year any chance I get. #1 They are a heck of a lot easier to drag out. #2 We are being told constantly that there are too many deer. #3 They are the tastiest deer around. #4 Takes the pressure off to get any deer and now I can hunt for Goliath. #5. When bow hunting I can almost always tell if it is a button buck or not. Heads are much blockier.

[BDR]

It really depends on the herd size where we hunt. In years of high numbers, yes I will and our group will. When we are not seeing many deer we will let them walk. It has been quite a few years since we have made a blanket statement of let the fawns go.

We average 16 hunters on approx. 750 acreas in the Backus area. There is no shortage of deer. This year we shot 22 deer, 10 does, 5 bucks,and 7 were fawns. We have a general idea of how much meat we all want and once we get close to that goal most of us switch to trophy hunting mode.

Most of the fawns will be taken on drive situations where the decision must be made in a flash. When I am on my stand I will let fawns walk in most cases. This year I shot 2 does on opening morning. Now I am trophy hunting, Sunday morning a doe comes in with a nice 10 pointer. I did get him too.

[BLACKJACK]

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Besides if you shoot only adult doe, what do you have left...fawns. The mature doe is a better breeder in my opinion, thus more fawns. Plus it gives the herd all age classes,not just young doe.

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I agree with you 100% on this! When it comes to the late bow season, I'll shoot a fawn before the doe because that doe will have two fawns, I like to see deer. Plus that adult doe is smarter and will lead those fawns and other deer out of trouble because of her experience.

[irvingdog]

Sorry submitter. There are legions of ethical hunters who shoot fawns.

There are way to many deer.

There are way to few hunters.

There are way to many car -vs- deer collisions.

A dead deer is one less deer. Less deer = less pressure on the existing herd = bigger, healthier deer.

Fawns are delicious.

[musky hunter]

Put the emotions aside! A fawn is nothing more than a small tasty deer. Not everyone has a four wheeler to drag the deer out or a chest freezer to put the deer meat in. A fawn represents a solution to both issues. Furthermore, fawns are the least likely to survive the winter, they just get pushed out of feed areas, so culling a small one when it is healthy in the fall leaves a spot in nature for another to live. I vividly recall one year when one in our group took a large buck, but unfortunatly it was all shot up, and I had a yearling cleanly killed. (Wasn't intentional, I had seen a doe, it dissapeared, and then the yearling appeared where I thought the doe was going to be. Thought I had a bigger doe in the sights). I took a lot of ribbing on this one, but more usable meat came off the yearling than the shot up buck.

[hanson]

I'll shoot a fawn.

[iffwalleyes]

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I'll shoot a fawn.

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Well we all know that .

[Gordie]

I will also shoot a fawn. Thats is what all those extra tags are for anterless deer I try not to take the button bucks but some time it happens .Their are so many of them where we hunt and we dont see as many big does anymore ,and yes its very tender and tastey.

[Gissert]

I've shot fawns before, I'll shoot them again. No apologies. If the DNR gives me antlerless tags, I will use them.

[Flatlander]

Shot one this weekend. A nice doe walked under my tree, followed shortly by her 2 fawns. I could almost count the hairs on the nubbin's nubs as he went under me, and fawn #2 was a doe. When she got about 10 yds. away, she was a fawn with 2 punctured lungs.

I will never shoot a doe that has a fawn with her. And over the past 5 years, I will not shoot a young buck. This year alone, I've passed on at least 6 different bucks, and some of them multiple times. I can't justify taking a basket 8 when WI gives you 2 free antlerless tags with your regular archery tag.

Just 1 man's opinion.

[Mark Christianson]

This is strictly a personal choice issue.

Its not an ethical issue. Its not a legal issue.

I will shoot a fawn. And as several have stated, its a good thing to keep age class diversification if you ask me.

Also one other thing to note. Our local CO years ago said taking fawns is a good thing. If a harsh winter hits, the first to go are the sick/weak. Next are the fawns to succumb to harsh winter conditions.

Shoot some fawns everyone.

[nluchau]

I will too. Wait I did on Thursday. There's too darn many of em.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I'll shoot one, why not??? I'd darn sure rather eat a little feller over some nasty old accorn fed swamp buck.

[setterguy]

I shoot fawns, my buddies give me a hard time but thats ok.

1.) They are delicious

2.) My wife doesn't eat venison, and a whole adult deer is more meat than I can eat alone

3.) Like was stated earlier, I know what I'm getting.

4.) I love deer I can throw over my shoulder and haul out of the woods.

If the deer herd in MN is ever hurting my mindset may change, but as of now there are plenty of deer to go around, I like eating them. So I will shoot the best tasting one I can find.

[shae1986]

I won't shoot fawns and I am not a fan of it. Even on the last day of the season with no venison in the freezer would i shoot a fawn. I even have a hard time shooting does with fawns. But thats just me. Big bucks cant get big by shooting nubbers.

[DRH1175]

Not intentionally. If it is a doe fawn than no difference than an adult doe and I hunt in 225 so it needs to be done. I did however shoot 2 males this year It hurts when you flip it over and realize it is a buck. But what can you do. When they are the same size at 100 yards as the other does how can you tell? The buttons have been the same size as the adult does this year. In my stand I have seen over 8 deer just this last weekend. One herd of 5 does and another of 3. Scrapes and rubs all over and after seeing about 14 over 2 weekends not one Buck with antlers. Tells me that if there are no horns shoot for sure! From my experience the doe and buck ratio is so out of whack! What can one do? To answer if it was close enough to see buttons than no. I would pass. Does will be put down for the freezer though!

[HateHumminbird]

As stated by others, I'll take doe fawns everytime. I will pass on buck fawns/nubbin bucks, as with a bow, esp. when looking at you, you can see the "square" vs. "rounded" head of a nubbin buck. The buck fawns of similar age are usually a bit larger in appearance than the doe fawns as well, as in our area we see many twins born.

It's a personal choice, but mine is for tender meat over none.

Joel

[McGurk]

I honestly shoot fawns. I'd be more mad at people who shoot spike/fork/small racks if I were you, but whatever. We saw only 1 easily definable buck (LARGE 10 pt) all weekend, so I'm shooting does/fawns only for the next few years.

[shae1986]

Be more mad at people that shoot little bucks, people that shoot buck fawns make it so they don't even get that big. Now am i mad at people that shoot fawns, no not mad, i guess i just dont understand why. Now for a younger hunter i do, shoot whaterver comes buy. But the people that have been hunting for 6 or more years i just dont understand why one would shoot a fawn or a small buck. Yell at me all you want thats how i feel and its wrong in a lot of peoples eyes. I hunt how i want to hunt and you hunt how you want to hunt. All in all we are all having a good time being out there chasing the elusive white tail that seems to find my pick-up about as often as my bullet finds them.

[McGurk]

I'm not yelling, settle down. Every person in my family has hit a deer with cars, sue me for taking the deer least likely to survive the winter and most likely to get hit in the next few weeks. We all want big bucks, but I'll take a fawn over a fork for the next year's eating.

For the record: Our party went 7 for 8, I shot 2 does and 1 fawn, and I'd do it again next year if the party is not seeing deer. And our zone has changed from zone 4 with doe permits to zone 4 either sex to zone 4 management/intensive harvest to zone 2 management/intensive harvest.

[hanson]

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But the people that have been hunting for 6 or more years i just dont understand why one would shoot a fawn or a small buck.

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My dad had a great morning on Sunday. He was on his stand for 10 minutes, I was halfway through my morning Mt. Dew, when Bang, Bang rings through the woods. Dad was only hunting a couple hundred yards from me so I got down and went to see what in the world was going on. I got over to his stand and asked him if he got him. He said her & then held 2 fingers up in the air. He dropped the doe with a neck shot and the fawn ran a short ways and stopped. He then swung on the fawn and put a great shot through the vitals.

I tell you what, I don't think I've ever seen my father so excited in his life. He's shot 2 really nice bucks in his life, and I was there for one of them. He was just as excited about these 2 deer, the doe & fawn, as he was about that big 10 pointer.

I think some of you guys are missing the picture here. The state of MN allows us 4 management tags in the permit area we hunt to harvest 4 additional does or fawns. THEY(the DNR) WANT US TO SHOOT DOES & FAWNS!!! So my god, I'm going to shoot one if I can.

[shae1986]

I hunt the same zone so i know what you are talking about.

[The_Duckslayer]

The areas that I hunt along the Minnesota river between LeSeuer and St Peter and public land other places here in the south land if you see a fawn and have a doe permit you take it. It may well be the only deer that you are going to see on your 2 day hunt. Take care and N Joy the Hunt././Jimbo