Hunting Forum

I'm a total beginner, and my wife told me that I would have to first shoot a buck, otherwise when I first shoot one doe, a buck would no longer visit this place.
Is that true?

ok... I'll be nice... no it's not true  honestly, don't know where she got that idea but where ever it was, don't ask for any more advice from that source.

This was a joke question, right?

Ah does "visit this place " mean your hunting stand area ? If so the answer is a definite false and incorrect !

Unfortunately rt, I think the answer to that is 'no'.

Wife probably comes from a hunting family, that has a few old beliefs, and he is interested in starting to hunt, and the only hunting connection is through her. Not going to poke fun, if he can get started maybe their kids will be future hunters, need as many as we can get to keep our traditions going. He maybe starting later in life than alot of us, but he is starting.

Welcome to the boards wschramke.
There is a sliver of validity in what your wife is telling you. The bucks will come in looking for does. If there are no does in the area, the bucks may not stay. Chances are pretty good that there is more than one doe in the area, so don't worry about it and shoot a doe if you want to and it's legal to do so where you're hunting. A doe is usually better table fare than a buck anyway.

Welcome wschramke. I agree with grandpops with there being a sliver of validity. One way to look at it is by shooting a doe first then that is one less doe around to attract a buck. Plus if that doe is with a group of other does the others may avoid your area for a while. The bucks are still going to be roaming around during the rut. If the does have been scared off you might only see the smaller bucks that have been chased off by the bigger boys. If you are wanting to fill your freezer I wouldn't pass on the opportunity to shoot whatever presents itself. Unless you are over run with deer you don't get a lot of oportunitys at a clear shot.

She might have gotten this info by people talking that bucks follow does and if you shoot the doe without checking behind her you might have missed a shot at a buck. But I shoot does for the table and bucks for bragging rights. lol.

good point gopheer hadn't looked at that aspect.  Grandpops; there ya go... given away all the carefully guarded sekrits... 

Not sure I buy the things presented.  I've shot doe who were in a group and had the others stand or even lay down while I was field dressing. Not often but it's happened.  In most every area I've been, doe way outnumber the hornies so I wouldn't worry about it at all and I agree with Fred, better fer the table anyhow. Unless of course they're really old.

And I apologize wschramke, I forgot the most important part!  Welcome to the boards don't be afraid to ask questions. You'll probably receive varying and conflicting opinions but those brown b*stards aren't a science and there's no such thing as a predictable whitetail. They usually do the unexpected vs the expected. 

Just this year we took 13 does off of our 160 acres in Missouri because there were just too many. We studied long and hard on our deer herd, or the deer that roamed our property. And came to the conclusion the buck to doe ratio was WAY out of wack! Not to mention our poor food plots were being hit so hard that there really wasnt much to them.
So now to the observations of the deer activity:

1.) EVERY doe that was shot was with AT LEAST 4 or 5 other doe's
2.) Even after shooting a doe, the remainder of them either fled the are and came back or came up to the deceased deer and sniffed around it
3.) More bucks were sighted during the rut, which included young ones, all the way up to a couple that had walkers to help them get around.

So In my belief if your deer heard is over populated with the female deer then by all means kill some does! You may increase your chances of seeing more if not larger Bucks stompin around your property lookin for love!

Good Luck Shoot Straight and Good Hunting
~Jeff

No that's the true I swear !!!

Thank's that's what I like to hear!

Yes you are right, maybe I have anymore much time left... !?

No actually I wait ever because I now that it could be !

Thank you Steve, for your understanding.

In 1999 when I returned to my home town and my family property, I began putting out trail cameras and planting food plots. For every 15 or 20 does, I might see one buck on the pictures. I have consistently killed does every year, but in decreasing numbers. Now my pictures show an average of 5 or 6 bucks to every doe, although at times I will have a picture or two of 4 or 5 does together on a corn pile or food plot. The most deer I've ever actually seen at one time on one of my food plots, was earlier this season, right at dark when I had 15 deer to my right and 6 straight in front of me. There was everything from spotted fawns and yearlings to does and younger bucks. When I checked the camera the next day, the big boys showed up shortly after dark thirty. I'm convinced that I have more and better quality deer after the last 13 years of heavy hunting and taking out many of the does and even a few fawns, plus I have more and better bucks(although they tend to be wherever I'm not for the most part), and it's due to planting for deer and killing the deer that over graze the plots. I believe my ratio has gone from about 15-1 to almost 1-1 and I still kill the majority of my deer from the same stand year after year.

Guys please excuse my writing, but after 5 years in another country without knowledge of the language, it is very difficult me ?

A good place to get all the info you need is from these forums. A lot of great people with sound advice. Also check out www.hunting.net. A great site for information. Good luck and welcome to Whitetail world! There's no place like it!!

just started hunting,and with a bow at that. I am extremly eager to get out there, but maybe some tips and insight would be appreciated. I live in upstate SC. Thanks and looking forward to next year.