comes to feeding areas. If you have too many does and they eat a food plot to nothing, bucks will go to the
neighbors. That is something we definitely do not want. By obtaining a ratio of 2 does to every 1 buck you
should maintain a healthy balance in your deer herd. In order to actually get your doe to buck ratio you
need a trail camera survey. We will cover this in the next issue. Just a heads up, it means math. I recommend you do a trail camera survey to get the actual numbers, but if you are itching to know just how many
does to harvest there is another guide you can use that deer expert Craig Dougherty mentioned in 2013.
1 doe every 25-100 acres
High quality habitat
1 doe every 100-300 acres
Moderate quality habitat
1 doe every 300-640 acres
Low Quality Habitat
Obviously by knowing your property and through observation you can adjust the numbers above.
Now knowing how many does you have using your property and if you need to shoot any, it is time to finally
choose how many. For most a conservative approach of a doe removal rate less than 25% is perfect for
maintaining herd population levels. Obviously, if you determine you need to harvest more does, increase
the rate. But 15% is usually a good place to start as it is always better to be safe than sorry. It is also important to realize that coyotes, hard winters and habitat changes all effect how many does to shoot. These
changes should be considered when planning the doe harvest on your property.
So the answer to how many does to shoot is that it depends. Look at your property, its food sources, and
the number of deer using the property and make an informed decision. How many does you need to shoot
and how many does your neighbor needs to shoot could be different. That’s fine. Do what is right for your
property. It is best to start conservative with your harvest numbers and increase them later if you need to.
There is no sense erasing all that hard work you did the last few years. Does are important, it is that simple.
Make sure you harvest the correct number on your property. And next time, give the does a little respect.
Their next fawn might just be a buck of a lifetime.
Be sure to read the next issue of Whitetail Instinct
Magazine where we will discuss how to conduct a trail
camera survey on your land.
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