Smallest Deer

[drkeenan]

We all like to talk about the big bucks however I'm wondering how many will admit those "oh gosh what have I done" moments when they discover how small the harvest was.

I'll start.

I was new to hunting, in a friends stand which was backed to the edge of a thicket of bull briars so thick that you couldn't see anything behind you. I thought a squirrel came from behind however when I looked down there was a doe directly under my stand. She spent the next 4 or 5 minutes so close to the tree that she actually nibbled at the bark several times. I hoped she would graze herself into a better angle for me however after 5 minutes she turned to go back the way she came which gave me only 1 lane which was almost vertical. I shot her thru the heart after which she died 15 yds in front of my stand. This is when I learned how difficult it is to determine the size of a deer from directly above. It never occurred to me that she was small until the adrenaline had passed 10 minutes after the shot. She wasn't still in spots but she certainly was young.

[Fullquiver]

Years ago I was out predator hunting in behind my corn field in December.. I had seen many coyote tracks coming in and out of the standing corn, as well as deer tracks... Just after my first set of calls a doe popped out of the low ground behind the corn behind her was a very small fawn..

Well here in this part of MI we had a late doe season at the time, and the snow was very deep, like 3 feet on the level.. the fawn was following close to it's mother well it must have been to close because the doe turned around and kicked at the fawn and it jumped into the deep snow off from the beaten path, the only thing you could see above the deep snow on the fawn was its head.. Well these deer where about 150 yards from me and I thought to myself "That fawn will never make it being so small this late in the year." So I took up a rest as the fawn struggled, unable to free itself from the deep snow, I put the crosshairs on my .243 varmint rig between its ears and pulled the trigger. Pink mist, I watched as the bigger doe ran off and I walked up and found the fawn. When I picked it up I noticed that it still had spots on it... Faint spots but spots you could see when up close.. I am not a tall man but I could hold the fawn out at arms length and the deer wouldn't touch the ground... When I got it home and skinned it there was no fat confirming my suspicions that the deer would not have made it through the winter... It's skinned carcass weighed a whopping 27 pounds... I figure it must have weighed maybe 40lbs at the most on the hoof...

[xbowrook]

I had put up my little pop up blind in a small travel bush we had about 7 years ago.. I went there for an afternoon hunt and sat there for a few hours but saw and heard nothing.. so I pack up, unzip my door to my blind and holy mackerel!! I have 5 doe's standing about 30 yards behind my blind..lol.. they were suspicious but didn't take off.. they would walk away a bit then I would call with my bleat call and they'd come back.. this happened 3 or 4 times.. I was shooting my hoyt ultramag at the time.. they started walking back my way and I had a small lane to shoot through, so I drew my bow back and waited.. they all looked like good sized doe's so I figured the first one in the lane gets it.. a doe walked and stopped broadside at the perfect spot so I let her rip.. heard a smack but she didn't act like she was hit.. I gave it a few minutes then went to spot of impact to inspect for arrow and blood.. didn't see anything.. looked around and about 10 yards past where I hit her I found tons of blood.. was a great hit.. found my arrow, complete pass through, soaked with bubbly blood.. I had a steep drainage ditch and it suddenly hit me, she went for the water.. sure as heck, I look up the water filled ditch and there's a round patch of brown fir about the size of a basketball.. took me forever to get her out.. she was small, a year old doe... oh well, I have had it happen twice.. it sucks but it's a clean, ethical kill and I ate her up.. not much meat but tender as all heck...lol

[Deaf jeff]

I have shot several button bucks or doe fawns of the year. I always pass on them until the season is nearly over and try filling tags with larger deer. granted, there is not a lot of meat on them but its the best venison you can get having some venison is always better then none at all

[xcaliber]

I shot a doe with a Browning Bushmaster compound bow years ago, my first archery deer. She come up under my stand on the edge of a bean field, and whack! I didn't think it was a small deer until we got her out of the thick stuff, dressed out at 68#. Tastiest deer to date however!

[dutchhunter]

we hunt the controlled shotgun hunt in december and shoot a ton of does and fawns ,I have one rule if a doe and fawn come out to the shooters thy are to try and shoot the fawn first and if thy get the fawn then try for the doe as well .I would rather have a dead fawn then a dead doe and a fawn left to try to make it thru the winter alone ,anyways we get some very small fawns every year and boy are thy ever good eating .most folks that come over for a meal never know thy are eating deer ,,it is that good ..I have carried them out over my shoulder some less then 50 lbs ,,but that's okay as we are hunting to knock down the numbers of deer in are area that is the point of this kind of hunt ,,Dutch

[rayman]

Before we all had cell phones and sat there texting back and forth the whole morning about various things we were seeing and speculating as to who had just shot, me and a buddy had radios with ear pieces so we could whisper back and forth. One morning we were sitting in out climbers a couple hundred yards apart on opposite sides of a creek and my buddy whispers to me "there is a deer walking down the creek, I didn't get a shot, it's working towards you, get ready!" So, I turn around in the stand to face the creek and have my rifle ready. Sure enough, in a few minutes the deer comes into broken view working it's way through the bushes. I shoot as soon and I have a crosshair lock on the back part of the shoulder. The deer jumps a few feet and crashes on the bank of the creek where I have a clear view. Ooops! It is illegal to shoot spotted fawns, so of course it was not a spotted fawn. But I will say that it was small and had white markings characteristic of a younger deer. My buddy came back on the radio, "told ya." I said, "well you didn't tell me it weren't no bigger than my brother's yorky."

[vixenmaster]

Couple yrs ago I had 2 doe fawns come up under my stand. I shot the closest one,maybe 70lbs

[rattlerun]

The smallest deer I shot was my second deer kill. Shot with my old Ben Pearson recurve back in 1971. My hunting partner called it my "Lunch Box" deer. He tied the 4 feet together and carried it out of the woods like a lunch box.

[wildcatter]

Couple yrs ago I had 2 doe fawns come up under my stand. I shot the closest one,maybe 70lbs

LOL 70 lbs. ya,,,, but mine was 70 lbs. before I field dressed it. It was smaller than I will ever take if I know the difference. I don't think I got 30 lbs of filleted meat off of her, and am sure she just lost her spots!!!

Everyone likes tender meat, and I am no exception. I usually don't get to picky as long as I know they are 1 1/2 year old fawns, but I too get confused once in a while. Hunting in very heavy thickets where you may only see your target for 2 or 3 steps, and if you don't have an attention getter to stop em, you have to act quick, or loose the opportunity.

I was set up 2 years ago in such a spot, and needed a kill early as I was about out of venison and had no steaks left, so I hit a doe hole. I had 3 lanes about 3' wide and 40 yards deep, 9 O'clock 12 O'clock and about 2 O'clock sure enough I had a taker but I missed the opportunity early. But then about an hour later another, and again by the time I got the bow up I was to far back on her,,,, I couldn't get on her quick enough either,but she had a follower, and I was ready when it stepped in I gave it a soft MAAA and and at the same instant let an arrow fly, about 35 yards out sitting 12" off the ground. I was a little surprised how small, and not overly impressed with the fawn, but, that's hunting,,,,,sure was great eating, but an expensive tag!! We try and be choosy but once in a while, you gotta take your chances.

[DuckHunt]

I hunt mostly for meat and young equals tender. My first bow kill with my compound was from the ground at 15 yards in September and it had faint spots. The doe it was following caught me off guard and got through my shooting lane before I could get to full draw. While at full draw the little one stepped out. Itching for my first bow kill, it was bad timing for Bambi. It didn't help that the area I was hunting required you to kill an anterless deer before you could kill a buck.

Given a choice between multiple, I normally go for the largest one regardless of sex. I've been known to center punch a doe with a small buck trailing it.

DuckHunt

[Species8472]

85 lb button buck that I mistook for a doe about 5 years ago.

[one shot scott]

I did the same. Thought it was doe but ended up being a button.

I had tags for all, but had I known I would have let it pass.

[wildcatter]

I did the same. Thought it was doe but ended up being a button.

I had tags for all, but had I known I would have let it pass.

Just wondering why you mention having all your tags, as here in Ohio we have two,,,

either sex -meaning any deer, we can only take one antlered deer a year, but to be considered an antlered deer, it has to have one antler with 3" or more of antler, on one side. button bucks are antlerless...

antlerless- is any deer, buck or doe, with less than 3" of antler on either side.

I just asked because I have only hunted in states that go by these same regs, I believe Indiana used to be 5" on either side? I am amazed at how many residents here think any buck is considered an antlered deer???

[one shot scott]

Ont is antlered and antlerless. You buy your initial lic and get a buck tag. You have to apply for antlerless, and if there are tags left after the draw then you can buy an additional tag, all based on projected deer numbers. I guess I mentioned it just to say I had tags for anything that walked in front, but it was a moot point

I dunno, its just weird expecting to walk up on a med sized doe and find a small buck, even though I have shot plenty of small deer thru the years.