purebowhunting wrote:How about looking at the potential downside of shooting does in early season. Most seasons start either early October or in September when fawns are 4 to 5 months of age. I think we can all agree at the beginning of season fawns can survive on their own, but a buck with booner genetics losing its mother before 6 months of age now fending for itself through it's first fall and winter isn't going to be as healthy as one with it's mother especially a mature doe. How much does that set back this deer, does poor nutrition early in life effect antler growth for the first 3 years, 4 years, maybe throughout it's life? I think there are too many variables to worry about any of this, but if growing booners are your only goal shooting early isn't necessarially the easy answer. If you think about this from all angles you will talk yourself out of ever shooting does, then youll be forced to look at the lands carrying capacity and how the degraded habitat is not allowing bucks to grow it's maximum sized rack it's genetics could allow. You'll just keep chasing your tail in this discussion.
My preference would be only to shoot a doe with no fawn in tow. Her fawn should be good to go by that point. I watched a doe and her young button buck on camera all season at my grandpa's. I left them both alone. Figured she would make for good buck bait, and maybe he would hang in the area and i could watch him grow.
As for the buck on his own at around 6 months, learning to fend for himself at such a young age could actually benefit him in reaching the mature ages that you're looking for with your booner buck. A buck walking around with it's mother all hunting season will have him in those easy to kill spots doe seem to congregate to. Just a thought.
Bummer of a birthmark, Hal.