If you didn't take advantage of the early season still harvest a doe!

This fall the Michigan NRC approved an early doe season for the Southern Lower Peninsula as well as the TB areas of the state. I view this as a great opportunity to not only to balance our deer herds sexually but to help to reduce our ever growing deer herd in the SLP. I hope that hunters in the SLP take advantage of the hunt and here are some reasons why and some tips for you during the hunt.

Why do we need to Harvest Does?

To control the population growth and deer density.
To balance the sex ratios. Bucks and does are born 1 to 1.
To make room for and improve the quality of young bucks.
To increase reproductive success and fawn recruitment.
To shorten the breeding season and shift it earlier in the season.
To reduce the dispersal of young bucks (fawns and yearlings).

Research has shown that approximately 70% of bucks between 6 months and 18 months of age will leave the birth area and disperse from 1 to 5 miles. If mother is harvested prior to dispersal, most buck fawns will not disperse, and these survive at nearly twice the rate of those that do disperse.

To reduce the negative impacts, such as Agricultural and environmental damage (habitat) and car/deer collisions.

When is the best time to harvest does?

Early as possible.

Fawns are weanable from 60 to 90 days after birth. The spots will be gone or very indistinct at this time.

In balanced deer herds in northern states, our main fawn drop period should be the last weeks in May. That timing would make fawns 90 days old around the 1^st of September.

To reduce the harvest of buck fawns.

Buck fawns are easier to distinguish earlier in the season as they tend to be larger then the doe fawns and but not as large as the adults.

To increase the available nutrition for the remaining deer for the winter time.
To improve the sex ratio prior to the breeding season. This also increases the competition between the bucks during the rut and leads to genetic selection. It also makes the rutting activity more intense.
To ensure the antler less harvest goals for the area are achieved.
To avoid harvesting bucks that may have shed their antlers early.

Harvesting does late in the season, say during late December has ill effects on the deer populations although our main concern should still be balancing our deer herd sexually. In December many of our bucks have lost their antlers and may be mistakenly harvested as does at this time. Additionally Does that are taken in the late season have also eaten food that others in the herd could have later in the season and into the winter, when food sources are hard to find. Additionally does in the late season have been bred by then and are carrying fetuses for next years fawns. The bucks have worked hard during the breeding season, fighting off fellow bucks, and not eating, as well as basically weakening themselves to breed these does, to the point that there bodies are worn down. When we harvest those does late we have wasted all of the work that these bucks have done over the last 40 to 90 days.

Harvesting does, especially in the SLP, is a great opportunity for us to once again try to balance our deer herds sexually. Making that decision to harvest your does early is up to you. My suggestion though is that you, the hunter, the deer manager, take advantage of the early season this year. If you don’t think that you can use the meat, take the opportunity to donate it to some needy family or local food panty. What a great opportunity for you to do something good not only for the deer herd but for people in your community.

Keep the fun in hunting,

Bob DuCharme

Great Lakes QDMA