Whitetail Herd Management: Identifying Which Doe to Harvest
In the following article, I will discuss some insight into the sometimes overly-complicated practice of “herd Management”. When the calendar turns to “Deer Season”, be-it archery, muzzle-loader, or archery - most property owners and land managers shift their attention away from the habitat and begin focusing on the herd. When you begin thinking about the sheer amount of forage consumed on an annual basis by an adult doe, and subsequently, her fawns, you will realize the practice of harvesting is an investment in the habitat the following year. The ensuing paragraphs will highlight my personal though process on determining which does to harvest, given the opportunity, based on your current state of the whitetail population on your property.
To begin, let’s begin by taking a trip to the deer stand. It’s mid-December and we were fortunate enough to place a tag on our target buck 4 weeks ago during the rut. We have an antlerless tag in our pocket, and still have room left in the freezer for one more deer. You are sitting on the edge of a green turnip plot planted back in August. It’s the prefect high-pressure morning, and as the sun continues to rise, the hard frost begins to steam off of the previous year’s foliage. Just as the residential pair of cardinals begin their morning chirps, awakening the neighborhood chickadees and titmice, something catches your ears attention. That all too familiar sound of crunching leaves begins echoing through the desolate timber behind you.
As natures volume increases, a portion of your soul begins to resonate. It’s the portion deep within your inner-most self, known only to a predator in the midst of an ambush. The resonance hits a frequency, so primal, you feel your heart rate climb and your extremities warm. Too nervous to give away your position in the barren canopy, you sit glued to the tree stand and begin to methodically reach for your bow in anticipation. As the sound amplifies more, you clip your release into the D-loop and slowly move your head towards the approaching sound over your left shoulder. Beginning to raise your bow and placing a bit of tension on the string in preparation to draw back. You sit, dead-still, awaiting the unsuspecting creature to step calmly into view and onto the food plot. Your heart immediately sinks, and the butterflies subside, as you realize that your quarry was actually the all-too-abundant lead-footed grey squirrel. Not the doe you were hoping for.
Just as you are about to unclip your release and reach to rest your bow back on its hook, something catches your eye across the narrow food plot. Amidst the chaos and confusion associated with what we will refer to as Squirrel Misidentification; case #763, you were completely unaware of the approaching doe stepping foot into the turnips. You smile under your camo mask, as more deer are seen moving through last year’s Edge Feather project across the narrow food plot. All of that sweat equity is paying dividends in the form of calm body language and white tail wags of approval.
The first doe of the morning who stepped into the plot, we’ll call her Doe-A, has a more slender build than you would expect from a fully mature doe. Is she a fawn? Is she a yearling doe? It can be difficult to tell this time of year, so you decide to wait until the other deer work their way into the plot for comparison.
After a few minutes of observing the deer browsing amongst the high stem-count of the edge feather, you are able to make out the body lines of three separate deer before they finally step foot in the open. Comparing the new arrival to Doe-A, you are able to quickly determine that Doe-A is definitely more petite and deemed a yearling. The newcomer, we’ll call her (you guessed it!) Doe-B, is a mature doe accompanied by two fawns. Doe-B stands alert, staring off to your left at ground level, exactly where the lead-footed squirrel had played his dirty trick on you earlier that morning. The fawns eagerly nurse as mom stares; stiff-legged and irritated, at the tree line.
A third doe, Doe-C, steps out into the food plot exactly where Doe-B had been fixated the past few moments. You are able to quickly diagnose Doe-C as mature – comparable in body size and stature to Doe-B, but you cannot see or hear any accompanying fawns. As Doe-C works her way across the plot, steering clear of the original doe family group, she is met with uninviting glares. You figure her to be a solo, unwelcomed guest. Tolerated, but her presence is certainly not encouraged.
Cloaked by the commotion taking place in front of you, you seize the opportunity to draw back your bow. It is decision time! All three does, as well as the two fawns, are within 30 yards of your stand and within comfortable shooting range. What is your decision to be?! In the following paragraphs, I break down the three different herd-management scenarios you can find yourself in: reducing the herd, holding steady at current population, and wanting to increase your deer herd size. Then I will discuss what situations would be most beneficial to you and your management objectives before prescribing which doe: A, B, or C, I would recommend harvesting and why.
Want to reduce herd numbers:
This is one of the most common scenario for landowners currently under any sort of quality deer management program. With the implementation of habitat improvements, food plots, and tighter control of hunting efforts, the deer herd is likely to be in a constant state of population growth. This is great news for a landowner, as it means the does are successfully raising their fawns to breeding age. But, this also means it is time for the landowner to begin actively keeping the population below your properties carrying capacity.
Remember, and I cannot stress this enough, MORE DEER ARE NOT ALWAYS BETTER. Aside from the obvious risks of disease transfer among high deer densities, it is important to remember that the average adult whitetail will consume roughly 1 ½ tons of forage per year! 3,000 lbs is a lot of food to provide for each mouth on the landscape, not to mention the forage consumed by her offspring. After a few seasons of active herd management, you will begin to notice that with less deer on the landscape, the body size of the deer harvested will steadily increase - bucks included. This is why it is always important to keep harvest records – to see trends in the population indistinguishable by field observations or trail camera photos alone.
In this scenario, Doe-B should be chosen for the receiving end of your arrows flight path. This mature doe, having successfully raised two fawns this season, is obviously a very capable mother. She is what I like to call a “fawn-factory”. She has the habitat figured out, and the wherewithal to keep her offspring out of harm’s way during their most vulnerable months.
For those questioning the ethics and morality of shooting a doe who was observed nursing her fawns, keep in mind that fawns are considered completely weaned – able to survive without milk – at about 10 weeks (2 ½ months) old. It is not uncommon (actually, very common), to observe fawns nursing from their mother well into the winter of their first year of life (6 months or so of age). This is helpful for nutrition, but certainly not necessary. The practice is more of a bonding exercise amongst the mother and her offspring than it is a thirst for nourishment. The two fawns in this situation will be just fine without a mother at this point in their life.
Want to maintain herd density:
If your management has been going according to plan, and have determined that there is little to no need to reduce your herd, then Doe-C, the lone, mature doe, should be the target. She, like the other two does, is of breeding age. Yet, for whatever reason, was seemingly uncapable of rearing this year’s crop of fawns into the winter months. Whether she lost her fawns to predation, a vehicle collision, drowning, or any other of the countless causes of fawn mortality, she is presumably “dry” this particular hunting season.
She may well be able to successfully raise a set of fawns the following year, but could also have some underlying fertility issue going on preventing her from conception, birthing or raising her offspring. Because of the unknown maternal forecast for this particular doe, she would be a good candidate for the freezer in this situation.
Want to increase herd density:
Whether it be a result of overhunting, a severe drought resulting in a poor fawn crop, or possibly even a disease, such as EHD, sweeping through the herd, your deer numbers are low. You wish to increase herd numbers, yet still want to put some meat in the freezer and no longer poses an antlered deer tag. If you find yourself in this scenario, Doe-A, the yearling doe who first stepped in front of your deer stand, would be the best candidate. Becoming a new mother the following spring, with no experience of raising fawns of her own, (and assuming infertility of Doe-C), she is the least likely of the three to contribute a fawn to breeding age the following year.
For those reading this article with either a indifference towards harvesting fawns, or simply a taste for more tender meat, a fawn, especially if it is identifyable as a buck, is another great candidate for harvest in this scenario. Sure, some fawns will be able to breed their first fall at around 7-8 months old. In fact, this is a tremendous indication for great herd health and exceptional habitat! But remember; fawns being bred is definitely the exception to the rule in most instances. If you can overcome the thought of harvesting “Bambi”, you will not only have an easy pack-out, but some of the best meat in the woods. By harvesting the fawn, you have ensured all three mature does will be around to potentially drop fawns in the spring and begin replenishing your depleted herd.
On the topic of fawn harvest, while consulting, I often encourage the harvest of one or two fawns from the property each year. The reason for this, is because fawns are the most susceptible to both good and poor habitat. They grow so quickly, that any increase or supression of ideal habitat will be reflected in the body weight of those fawns. By tracking the weight of fawns harvested at roughly the same time each year, you will have a tremendous indicator of how well your habitat is doing. This information can help you set management objectives the following year entering hunting season. If you are seeing those fawn weights increase year-to-year, keep it up! Whatever you are doing is working. If they begin to decrease, it is time to harvest a few more “fawn-factories” such as Doe-B!
I hope you all enjoyed this exercise. As always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions or comments on the content I have ben producing. It is always great to hear your feedback. Good luck this fall and be safe out there!
