Good gosh. There's a fine line. You know that. Shoot every doe? No. Shoot NONE? No. There's a balance between those and when it comes to kids, they do not understand that. They want to shoot something and letting them whack a doe or spike now and then is not a bad thing. It won't decimate the herd. It won't scare every deer into three counties over and off every food plot forever.

What it will do is keep that kid interested enough so he/she will go again AND will be more interested in learning why -- if it is your personal or club goal -- that management is important and the hows and whys of it.

You don't have to let kids shoot everything to stay interested

You keep using this phrase and it's flat-out wrong. Wrong.

I have NEVER said to let kids shoot "everything." Far from that. Nowhere, notime have I said that.

I grew up "watching deer" because we couldn't shoot does. It was bullchit then and it's bullchit now. Kids can learn and watch but at some point the HAVE to pull the trigger and get some blood on their hands instead of being told "wait, watch, enjoy seeing all the deer, no no no wait and learn, watch, wait ..."

You CAN have both: a management plan that has limited or whatever kind of doe killing you want AND allowing young hunters to EVERY NOW AND THEN shoot a doe or two. Not "shoot everything" and not "shoot all the time" and not "shoot and kill all the herd." Occasionally. Now and then. Enough so that these kids aren't saying "Screw this, I keep going and getting told I can't do anythign except watch" and they won't go again.

You can have both.


As for the "liberal doe seasons" ... all that is changing and is about to change more. All you guys screaming for mandated reductions in doe seasons and limits are getting your wish. Those changes are here and more will come.

BTW BigT, I feel your pain on the does. I do. Don't get me wrong.

Property I hunt doesn't have a big population. We don't shoot does. I could have but do not. Not because the regs said I couldn't; we just choose not to do so. Via camera I've seen some evidence of this paying off, and we'll continue to not shoot any.

But if one of my kids wanted to shoot a doe? Yeah, it'll be on the dirt. Not three, or eight, or all of them. Maybe one, IF they wanted to. Otherwise, we'll just watch and wait for Mr. BuckyBuck DingleBalls to come through.

I tried to stay out of it but I’ll say my piece. What’s wrong with deer hunting, turkey hunting, fishing, four wheeler ridding, mud ridding, ridding the dirt roads out in the country with the windows down and the radio blastin with the kids on the back of truck and a good lookin lady slid up next to you is this………. All them dang tv shows!! All them scent loc, real tree no scent bubble gum chewing, scent killin spray bottle toting, night/evening huntin, $10,000 side by side, $20,000 bass boat, 15 rod and reel and the endless list of idiots..
Fellow can’t even pull off the side of the road and take a piss without someone wanting to hang him from the highest dang tree cause he was on “my” land. Way back yonder years ago things were just so much different. Back in the 80’s when Mossy Oak Boys first started their Truth series and came out with the first pattern we used to enjoy watching some good ol boys cut up and have fun and kind sort of hunt like we did. As the years rolled on and the tv shows popped up and anything outdoors whether it was hunting, fishing or just enjoying walking around outside was commercialized people wasn’t brain washed. Now if you don’t talk the lingo, wear what’s trending, shoot what’s popular or drive the latest baddest ride somebody has got something to say about it.
When I was a kid here in north Baldwin you dang near sit 15 mins on a major highway (59) to allow herds of deer cross the road. Everybody drove around and spot lighted. There’s still lots of deer down here in Baldwin but there isn’t near the numbers as they was way back then. Did folks out law and kill some then? Yep I sure did. We didn’t kill em all the time cause ol Clem Parnell would catch you but us and others did kill some we didn’t get caught with. We couldn’t shoot everyone we saw but now you can and the numbers are way down. So common sense says you can kill em out or they would have never had to restock.
Kids were tough, we walked for miles behind dogs, with a head light, sit on the ground, climb a tree whatever we had to do. Grown folks made sure the kids got the best stands and killed something. Now a days kids can only sit in a box watching the grass die. They are not taught to hunt or fish, they are not taught respect nor patience or how to survive.
The outdoors has been a long tradition especially here in Alabama. We did it cause that’s who we was. Fun, meat and sometimes a big buck. We catfished all night long on the river, went frogging and hoped the grown folks would let us stand around and listen to them. I still live my life this same way. If it’s not your way fine. I’m not going to petition they make a law to make you. You live yours and I’ll live mine.
I know that don’t bode well with many but I never came here cause I needed a pal. You have Game Wardens on this site, you have Police officers on this site and problem is even when they tell you what the law is you act just like the folks they get called on every day. You want to argue with them and act like you know the law. When I was working I’d always told folks then why in the hell did you call me, lol! Can’t fix stupid and can’t legislate a law to fix brain washing by all the big tv elites.
I’m through, I’m going hutin, fishin or ridding down an old dirt road or something. A country boy can survive……….

There is definitely a decline in doe numbers and population in general from my observations here in south covington county. Going back to the 2 week doe days or a seasonal limit would help, but, at the same time, is this doing any good if the farmers can keep slaughtering pregnant does off crops during the summer while they are pregnant. Talked to a farmer this summer that had killed, or shot over 300 he said. Talked to that same farmer 2 weeks ago, he cant understand why he isnt seeing any deer

Depredation permits have got to stop if they limit does in any sort of way. They probably won't though.

I guess my point is that we need to get over the mentality that we have to shoot every doe we see.

There's a lot more deer around here than when I was a kid.I traveled the woods a lot as a young boy.Sometimes I would be 10 miles from my house,sometimes farther. I never cared or asked whose land I was on. I wasn't carrying a gun just fiddling around along the creeks and bluffs.

I use to get real excited to see a deer track. It was a big thing. All those miles anytime I could get out of the house and I didn't see a deer hardly ever and a track maybe a half dozen times a year.

Now,I have deer walking down my driveway in the middle of the day. There has been 4-7 in a little field beside my driveway nearly every night.I thought they would disappear when season started but they were there last night when I came in.

This is one example why this state needs a zone based management system. Some parts of the State are doing, some ok and some not good at all. This is the result of a one system fits all management system.

Are all of ya'll Hillary lovin liberals that need the government to tell you not to shoot does and force me to have to get permits so that I can? Are all the people on here that complain about Game Check the same ones that want the government to regulate doe harvest? Liberal wimps learn trigger control!