Honestly who shoots fawns?

[almostthere!]

If all you want to do is putting heads on walls, go on a can hunt like the Gentry guy. Them farms have the best antlered deer in the world; I mean the easiest huge antlered deer in the world where you can pick which buck to shoot from 4 to 5 bucks milling around under your tree stand.

Different hunters hunt for different reasons. Putting heads on walls is not one of mine, but putting tender steaks on the table is one of mine. To quote a fellow FM'er, "no matter how long I cook them antlers, they still don't taste good."

Your definition of a trophy is, "a huge antlered buck among a sea of huge antlered bucks." That is not a "trophy" but just an average buck.

If you want something to brag about, you should change your definition of a trophy to, "a huge antlered buck taken from a place where very few bucks reside." Now that is a "head on the wall" trophy I can appreciate.

[Bubbadust]

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Now if you shoot everything that walks in front of you...Does..Fawns...Bucks...don't be complaining when you never see something big.

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Exactly. Most people shoot everything then wonder why there are no trophy deer or bigger bucks

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You won't hear me complaining or wondering. I just like to eat venison, antlers are too crunchy!

[Bubbadust]

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BLB, do you want my 'to die for' bass recipe???

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Mine involves grilling them on aluminum foil with butter, lemon seasoning, and parsley flakes. Absolutely delicious!!!

[Gissert]

Only trophies go on the wall? I don't get it.

Come to think of it, I may try a nice European mount of the skull on some book ends. Thanks for the idea.

A trophy is in the mind and heart of the person who takes the animal, not someone else's opinion of it.

I agree, this is going nowhere.

[CommonSense Guy]

A deer is a deer is a deer.

[shae1986]

SO what a buck is not a trophy. Thats bull all over the place. SO next time you shoot a nice buck you cant call it a trophy animal. BUt i can, becuase a buck is a trophy. A doe is a trophy, a fawn is an innocent animal that doesnt move if you shoot and miss it. A fawn is a deer that you can walk up too in the woods within a few feet and shoot it while it is still lying down. To me this is not a sport. I shoot my bucks by stand placement and i do my homework, might be also why i have no problem seeing deer.

Will this topic ever go anywhere, no. Will this topic go away, no. Is there arguments for both sides, yes. Do i hate people that shoot fawns, no.

Maybe the reason i dont shoot fawns is becuase i dont have too. I can shoot a doe pretty much when i want so i can wait around for a buck to show. This is probably why i choose not to shoot, and usually wait until the fawns are booted off the doe before i start even shooting does. I got my deer in the freezer. Might not be the tastiest thing in the world but the rack will sure look good on the wall.

[charliepete2]

Shae....you actually ambush deer out of stands? I'm a real sportsmen, I stalk my deer from the ground. I just don't feel right shooting an oblivious buck from the air. You don't even have to have any real hunting skills, your scents hidden, your movements are hidden, it's just shooting fish in a barrel.

Sound a bit familiar to you? It should. I'm not trying to give offense, just jerking your chain a bit to show you what it might feel like on the other side of your posts. Confidence is doing what feels right to you and not giving a rip about what others do. If you like buck hunting, go ahead, but don't belittle other folks.

If you take the best hunter in the state and stick him on public land with 50 other guys who just nailed up stands the night before opener he probably won't do as well as some 12 year old who never hunted before on a prime piece of private land that hasn't been hunted in years. I've had both experiences...my own private land, and before that I slugged it out with the orange army on croweded public land. There are pieces of public land where taking any deer, even a fawn, takes a lot of woodsmanship and luck. There are pieces of private land where you could kill a 10 ptr with a spear. Painting with a broad brush just isn't accurate.

When I hear stories about people telling other folks "Why would you shoot something like that (in reference to does and fawns)?", it sure makes me glad that I have enough self confidence that I can enjoy my own hunting experiences without trying to make other guys feel like crap.

[shae1986]

And i stated that in my post also where i dont shoot fawns becuase i dont have too. I have done the public land and the private land and have hunted 4 different areas in the last 4 years. Ive hunted by Ulen, by DL, by Ogema and this year by Mahnomen. I've hunted public land by White Earth Lake and by Twin Valley. All this and im only 20. Now is there a lot of deer up here, yes, but still i hear of people passing on does early in the first morning and shooting fawns on the last day. That i dont understand. If all you see the whole time out hunting wiht a decent shot is a fawn, you have to shoot. There is nothing wrong with wanting to fill the freezer on the last day. ITs the passing of does on the first day and the second and waiting till that last day to fill your tag that blows my mind and every year i hear that story it blows it more and more.

I will say this, if it is your goal to go out and shoot only fawns then i still have way more respect for you than the poeple with the "its brown its down" theory. If you go out and shoot 5 fawns and its the first 5 you see then great job. But if you pass on 2 does in the morning on the last day but decide to fill your last 2 doe tags with 10 minutes of shooting left and take down two fawns, that i dont understand.

Hope everyone had a fantastic year of shooting the elusive white-tailed deer. Good luck to all ML and remaining bow hunters on your quest for your fawns.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Ok.. this debate has gone on long enough.