Whitetail questions.......

[phantomak47]

I have hunted whitetail almost 3 years now and I love every second of it. I never had a chance to hunt until I went to school down south and since then I have moved to Texas and realized how awsome of place it is.

I didnt come from a family of hunters or gun owners, everything I learned was self taught by books or conversation. I find that seasoned hunters are a wealth of resource and with the amount of hunters dwindling every year, I seek to find as much information I can so that I can pass it on.

I have sat on my stand several times with does in range, yet I passed on them. With a hunt coming up soon, I need to know how to judge mature does.

What are the best signs of a mature doe?

 

[Subby]

If you're talking about does vs. fawns/yearlings, generally a doe has a proportionally longer snout. A fawn/yearling will have a stubby looking snout, much like a human baby has a chubby head until it grows some. If you have cable, try to check out some of the hunting shows and pay attention when a group of antlerless deer come past the stand. It's pretty obvious once you know what to look for. How'd your Euro mount turn out?

Sub

 

[Mr. Chitlin]

Also, in addition to the above, the mature doe will have a long, skinny neck, where as a yearling will have a short, stubby neck. If you see a deer alone, it is sometimes hard for the inexperienced to distinguish between a yearling and a mature doe. Lots of times it will be a button buck that the mature buck has run away from it's mom so he can the doe.

 

[Delmar]

If them ears seem as long as their head, you are looking at a youngin. No, not the hunter......

 

[birddog]

As the posts above mention, length of features is important. The best way I've found to judge does at any distance, is length of the entire animal. A button-buck or doe fawn presents a "square" overall picture when viewed broadside. An adult doe is longer than she is tall, presenting a elongated "rectangle".

Good hunting.

 

[phantomak47]

If you're talking about does vs. fawns/yearlings, generally a doe has a proportionally longer snout. A fawn/yearling will have a stubby looking snout, much like a human baby has a chubby head until it grows some. If you have cable, try to check out some of the hunting shows and pay attention when a group of antlerless deer come past the stand. It's pretty obvious once you know what to look for. How'd your Euro mount turn out?

Sub

The buck is still down in Banderas, the guys down there said they sometimes tied the head up in a tree and fireants will do all of the work.