It was over 70 years ago that I first set foot in the woods of Northcentral Pennsylvania and began a lifelong pursuit of hunting everything our state had to offer — from grouse and squirrels to black bears and whitetail deer.

In the 1950s, the generally accepted philosophy when it came to harvesting does was “don’t.” The majority opinion was that since does gave birth to the fawns, thus the next generation of deer, by taking a doe, you would be eliminating the chance of her giving birth to a future buck. At least, that was the generally accepted thinking at the time. However, a great deal of research has been done, and with the numerous studies that have been conducted, the needle seems to have shifted.

The Buck-to-Doe Ratio:

Through the years, there has been more and more emphasis on the importance of a balanced or healthy ratio of bucks to does and its importance in the proper management of a deer herd. Left unaddressed, the number of does will eventually far outnumber the number of bucks.

With the overabundance of does, they may not all be bred during the short window of the normal rut but will be bred over a longer period of weeks. Ideally, in the spring, the birthing of fawns should occur over the shortest time period, thus enabling a more limited amount of predation. If the breeding period is spread out over a longer time frame, the degree of predation is increased dramatically.

If more does are harvested, fewer are available for breeding, resulting in bucks traveling more and exposing themselves more as they search for a breeding doe. Thus, hunters have more opportunities to take a buck. If does are not harvested, bucks have no reason to travel excessively and expose themselves to possible harvest by a hunter.
Healthy Does Produce Healthy Fawns:

A viable habitat that offers a wide variety of food available for deer is critical to producing and maintaining a healthy population of whitetail deer. If there is an overpopulation of deer in the surrounding habitat, the overall health of the deer population declines accordingly. With fewer deer in a particular study area, it has been shown that the result is a healthier population because there is not the negative effect of overconsumption of the food available. Taking of does will result in an increase in fawn production and recruitment. It has been shown that a herd of just 20 healthy does will produce more fawns than 40 does that are in poor condition. These young fawns will have a much higher survival level if their mother is healthy.
Tender and Tasty:

If you talk to enough hunters, you will get a wide variety of answers about why they hunt whitetail deer. Some are strictly buck hunters, and some of them are extremely dedicated to putting in as much time as necessary to take only a heavy-racked buck. If you are looking for a game for the dinner table, such a buck will often not be all that palatable unless you are willing to settle for using it all for venison burger! Regarding table fare, a doe — even an older doe — will yield a much tastier and more tender variety of steaks, chops, roasts, and burgers.

When it comes to which does to harvest, research has shown that taking older does is preferable to taking one in the young age group.

First, the younger does will tend to be healthier and thus produce healthier fawns. Secondly, older does, while still healthy tend to be larger and thus provide more meat for use at the dinner table. Further, taking the older and more mature does reduces the possibility of mistakenly taking a young button buck — something most hunters try to avoid.

The Beat Goes On:

The debate of whether or not to take does is one that will go on among hunters across the state. Ultimately, it all comes down to managing your herd to maximize productivity. To accomplish this goal, it is critical to maintain a highly productive habitat, keep the herd below saturation level, and attempt to achieve a good buck-to-doe ratio.