So tpwd gives hunters in most areas the extended season after regular deer season to shoot either does or spikes. I can understand the spikes (usually culls if they have the bigger bodies) but why on earth would they promote shooting a doe that late in the year. I think that it's safe to say that the majority of the does have been bred by the end of December or the 1st of January.

If you are trying to grow your heard, it seems logical to me that one shouldn't shoot deer that has a chance of being pregnant. For management purposes, shouldn't you shot all your does early before rut so the does that do get bred don't get shot (and the bucks "man juice" doesn't go waste)

I've gutted dozen of does for buddies when I was younger and remember finding a ton of babies the size of my hand in the dead does. Needless to say, my does are shot before Thanksgiving

Just curious as to what y'all thought

Those babies are perfect for pan frying in a carst iron skillet

I agree with you in that most does will have been bred and without being sure which bucks bred which does, I wouldn't want to shoot one that late. However, to the good 'ol meat hunters that only got to go once or twice and don't care too much about management, it's a last chance to go out and shoot up the woods. Personally, I'm all for having an extra week or so to shoot spikes (I've got one in Lexington I've been hunting all year and still haven't had a shot at), but I'm not too big on does.

Haha ya Ducks-one might get lucky and shoot 2 bred does and each could have twin. Almost make a shish-kabob outta them!!

I'm all about get spikes that need to get culled out no matter when!!

who said that the TPWD wants the herd to grow? We are already over populated with deer in many areas and the problem is getting worse.

Over population allows easy spread of disease, creates more competition for food, and leads to a less healthy deer herd.

We want a healthy and stable deer herd, not an overpopulated, emaciated, and weak deer herd.


Thus, the chance at the end of the year to "shoot up the woods" or if you aren't going to lower yourself to ridiculous stereotypes "manage your herd and get some meat for the freezer."

I know I'll be out there looking for some meat. My freezer is nearly empty.

When you figure up the math:
-Say that 3 hunters hunt the special season

-each hunter shoots 2 does (6 total does)

-for each set of 2 does, 1 does has one fawn and the 2nd doe has twins. So you have 2 mama's and a total of 3 fawns being killed. 5 deer total per hunter assuming they all live until the 2012 season

- 5 deer per hunter x 3 hunter = 15 deer. Again assuming they all live and at least one doe in each set that has twin (which I know doesn't always happen)

So if these 3 hunters wanted to each just take 2 does each, they are actually really taking out 15! (Again, going off the math from above)

Blows my mind

your math is incredibly flawed.

Not all does are bred, and deer mortality rate from 0-1 yr. is very high.

Don't forget that not everyone takes 2 deer.

Your situation probably doesn't occur on very many places across the state.

The deer population in Texas is as high as its ever been with fewer and fewer new hunters each year. I think the TPWD did a little research when setting the season. I don't think it was on a whim.

Ding ding, this is more of an effort to knock the population down some, not build it up. In the grand scheme of things, the special seasons have relatively little impact on population numbers (honestly, archery season has a pretty insignificant impact).

AGGIE WHO8P, I have heard the same thing from other hunters on my lease. The fact is, it does not matter when you shoot the does. If you shoot a pregnant doe then you took two to three potential deer out of the herd. If you shoot them before they are bred; same result because they never had the opportunity to produce offspring. You get my point??????

[This message has been edited by jlwhite (edited 12/31/2011 7:15p).]

Yeah, from a population standpoint, it really makes little difference.

But I will say, if you get a bunch of biologists together, there a few that will argue in circles over when to kill does.

I'm no expert, but I believe the doe to buck ratio needs to be maintained at a healthy level. Here in OK where I hunt, we have far too many does and not enough bucks, so the general consensus is shoot as many does as legally permitted, and only kill the mature and cull bucks.

GigemAgs- yes I know my math is flawed and not 100%, but it was just a quick guess. I'm not a biologist, but I just guessed at what the results COULD be. I know those numbers aren't accurate, but I'm pretty sure that most hunters would shoot the biggest doe they could and in most cases the doe they kill has a bigger chance of being bred than not bred (I would think)

Ursusguy- good point! I guess I was thinking more about leases/ranches that were on MLDP, which would go against what the program stood for (unless your ratio was really out of wack). I'm not from an area where there a tons of deer, but I imagine the population is a big problem

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The fact is, it does not matter when you shoot the does. If you shoot a pregnant doe then you took two to three potential deer out of the herd. If you shoot them before they are bred; same result because they never had the opportunity to produce offspring.

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This.

^^^^

This

Not from a numbers standpoint, but if you're shooting does early in the season you help the buckoe ratio at the perfect time of the year. Theoretically that increases the odds that the dominant bucks cover the existing does and there are less does for the crapper bucks to breed.

For those people that apparently don't deer hunt. The extra 2 wks for does/spikes are only in high populated deer counties. If you are paying thousands of dollars and high feed costs every year. You are investing in bucks. Throphy bucks. Some do harvest does during the season, but I don't want to shoot a doe and then see a trophy buck run off. If you don't harvest does you can not control the deer herd. In counties that don't have a special season, I'm starting to see see more does and less bucks.

Taking does early in the season means more forbs and browse for the remaining herd.

Spikes were originally included in the late season to allow for hunter error. "I thought it was a doe but turns out it has small spikes that I didn't see."

This last weekend near Lometa there were 3 yearlings killed with 1- 1 1/2" spikes which were mistaken for does. Never have I seen that many with the super short spikes.

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I think that it's safe to say that the majority of the does have been bred by the end of December or the 1st of January.

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I have never understood this argument. (not picking on you I just used your sentence). If you shoot doe x in Nov. before the rut in that area she can not be bread. If you shoot her in January and she has been bread in all honesty it makes no difference. If you can't count potential fawns in November you can't count them in January.