Opinions on a few more deer ages.

Shooter?
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My wife killed one like that several years ago with her bow. Antlers even less noticeable. She thought it was a doe when she shot. It was a 2.5 yr old buck.
Happens. No shame in that. I told you how late deer are born here due to late rut. Almost impossible to tell difference in two from 200 yards in shooting house with scope, or up close with a bow with short shooting window.

I think we have gotten carried away with let all young bucks walk. That seems to be only a part of the scenario, maybe a small one.

I’ve been thinking about your post about you killing all the does early, then you seeing less deer for a while before they returned.

I’m not sure that’s a negative. That might have been how it was supposed to work, and now your place has benefitted from that work. Sure having a few hunting seasons with less deer is not fun, but I have never read that killing overpopulated does brings instant success, or brings more deer. The less deer allowed the ones their to thrive and as they filled back in the theory is they eat more, have more room to grow, breed better without wearing out the bucks, etc. Maybe your hunting now is a direct benefit of the work you did.

My guess is you feel different. That’s ok. Not trying to change your mind. Just a thought. Worth what you paid for it!
 
I had a dink on the place this year.

I don’t think he was a legal buck, I already notched my only antlerless tag.

sadly he walked.

then the lil prick tore up an uncaged Norway spruce!
 
With the gestation period being approximately 200 days I can usually count back and pin point the breeding season / rut. Ours being in mid November. Truthfully, I never gave it much thought for other areas and how it effects your hunting season. I can't imagine seeing that young of a fawn during hunting season. Thanks for opening my eyes.

The general rule of the thumb is a fawn should be about 70-80 lbs going into our winter. After the last few mild winters, there was very little winter kill. Even the small ones make it through. I think, the more this happens the more spread out the breeding season will be in the future.
 
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