POLL - are fawns fair game?

[Onetimeonly x-->]

Deer hunting is an expensive sport. With that said I think it's
up to the hunter whether he or she chooses to take a yearling.
I'm with onebigskittle allot of button buck are taken. Here in
Michigan we have our fair share of deer. As for me I will pass on
a yearling and I wouldn't look down on anyone who would
take one! Just in my experience, if I see a small deer alone it's
usually a button buck.

[vixenmaster]

Yes & i will shoot one that doesn't have spots on it. Makes no diff if'en its a Doe or Buck, heck very few record book deer around here. They don't live that long,

[Doe Master]

I have passed on fawns but I also have harvested them as well .
As said before it depends .
Have you haven`t had anything by in the last month and are getting eager .
Brand new hunter without any harvests .
Meat hunter who is trying to balance the herd in a over populated area .

[gendoc]

i won't, but don't mind if tha grandkids do and even guests can take them on my spread only when invited..... only without spots.
i have raised too many babies here and would like to see them get to
mature... kinda like my cattle. i do get attached to some fine herfords or angus
cuz i raise them and i like to watch'um

[korey99]

As most have mentioned, it depends how desperate for meat I am, or how willing to fill a tag. And by mid-December, some fawns are looking as big as mama anyway...so why not??

I've passed on them, and I've shot them - prefer to shoot doe fawns though. And have no problem with them being taken.

Korey

[frisky]

There's so many variables, but if it's late season and I still have no venison then a fawns fair game! Never anything with spots though for me

X2

[denisdendenis]

There's so many variables, but if it's late season and I still have no venison then a fawns fair game! Never anything with spots though for me

X2

X3 for me
Denis

[new2xbow]

Well i voted yes for 2 reasons, I am in it for me the meat ( i dont HUNT for bucks period, but if a big'en comes in he's going down) and the owner of the land i hunt on (my brothers fiancee) made it VERY clear she needs deer removed from property, they are CONSTANTLY tearing their horse fencing down. But i have to say i have not and not sure i would take anything with spots.

With all that being said we have a term for them around there when cleaning them ( all the neighbors come there to get their deer dressed and processed) we call them katy deer, to qualify they have to be smaller than katy the rotty. and we see alot of them from the first year hunters.

And one more thing, there is a reason doe tags are dern near endless in NC. if you burn the 4 you get with license you can get unlimited bonus antlerless at $10 for 2

[jody5050]

seriously. in sept. and oct.?? why use a tag on a "sandwich with hooves" seriously... at least wait until late season, they will have gained more weight by then...at that time, a deer is a deer and any deer will do. most definetly would not let any of my hunting pals see that. i would be laughed at until spring.

[See4miles]

I never felt the need to kill something that bad that I wanted to put down a fawn. Nothing wrong with it at all. Just not my thing.

[j.krug]

I've never had the opportunity to shoot a fawn but if the circumstances were right I probably would. Like many have mentioned there are a lot of variables to consider. I guess if it's legal and you're good with it then it's your call no matter what others think.

[muskyman454]

if that's what you want to eat.then by all means fire away.i don't for personal reasons but that's me.and i don't look down on another hunter if he does.i killed a five pointer last year and the first thing i heard was i would not have killed that? to each his own.and later that same person wanted a little back strap for his grill. we all hunt for different reasons and its up to the person on the trigger at the time.so no matter if you are after a 180 or yearling's good luck and have a safe season...

[Hallaketrout]

In 30 years of hunting I have never shot a fawn, but having said that, if it were the last day of the season and the meat pole was empty I might shoot a twin which would leave the doe only 1 to care for through the winter and avoid the wolves.
I have shot a yearling late season in the past, I go for a head shot as to not spoil any meat. But usually I look for a buck or a large doe with no fawn.

[ninepointer]

Good thread. Here's my honest truth.

I took a fawn with a rifle early in my deer hunting career (inexperienced and mistook it for a doe) and have no regrets. As a new deer hunter it helped me along.

When I later also took up crossbow hunting, I took 2 fawns on purpose on seprate occasions. Again, no regrets. It put some tasty venison in the freezer of a new crossbow hunter.

I no longer feel the need to shoot fawns and I have passed on many. I don't expect to try to shoot another one. However, 3 years ago (despite my "no fawn" rule), I shot 2 fawns during a rifle hunt. The first was a wounded fawn that had been hit in the leg by another member of my party. No regrets. The second was another mistake on my part. The hounds were on the chase and the "doe" (or so I thought) was at a distance when it popped up from behind a tree. I felt bad.

[wayne]

I guess for the answer for me, would be a.... No..... The word weanling (suckling, still on the tit) is why I answered no..... I take that to mean it's not a lone fawn. EMS has made me a hard person, but not hard enough, as of yet to shot a fawn still on the tit
Now where I hunt the deer numbers have been way down for some time now.....and we have not shot doe's for about 6 years now....but back when the numbers were up....I don't believe I would have done that then, think I've would have waited fer one not suckling, if I wanted a fawn.....I know it's about the same thing, but that word messes with my head.
I know veal is some good eating....but....I guess if I had nothing more to sell...fer food, bring it on, bambi's going down but till then I'll have to pass