I was looking at the harvest records for the year at Barbour wma and noticed they have 3 cat of deer killed .Does, bucks,and button bucks. They show 19 button bucks i figure killed for does.When looking at our 2 aday every day either sex season i can't imagine how many buck fawns are taken out thought 2 be does.Looks like that would be a management nightmare?

I think the problem could be helped if hunters were more careful with selecting does. If we tried to shoot older does, then it would eliminate shooting button bucks. Not saying that will stop it from happening, but it would help some.

The best way we've found to reduce the number of buck fawns mistakenly shot as does on our club properties is to restrict our members from shooting ANY deer under 70LBS live weight. We fine for any taking of small deer under 70lbs, whether it's a doe or not. The reality is that 90% of the hunters simply cannot tell the sex of small deer unless they ground check them. Being involved in managing hunter harvests on the same 3k acre tract for over 20 years..experience shows this is the best practice on private lands.

the problem is, shooting the first deer in the food plot...

Agree...I'll even go as far as to say shooting any "doe" by itself.

thats what some people do at our club they dont even let the does get thier back feet in the greenfield and they shoot! ridiculous!!

If those hunters would actually try to look the deer over and age it before they let the hammer down we would be fine. Have to find guys who care first. Way too many "brown and down" guys around.

Best advice for the average hunter. Don't shoot a solo "doe". I bet 90% of button bucks shot are the first deer on the greenfield or are wandering through the woods by themselves. Does usually are with other deer and usually have a fawn with them making it easy to tell which is a fawn and which is a doe.

I have enough experience now, with good light, to be able to tell if it's a doe or fawn and haven't killed a button head in 10 years but it's a common mistake for a lot of new hunters.

Button bucks also look flatter between the ears, a doe's head will be a little more rounded between her ears if she is looking at you or directly away. Also don't shoot a doe that comes in just before dark. If it's a small doe it could be a button buck, if it's a larger doe it could be a spike. Too easy to make a mistake on a young buck at that time of day.

I've seen late born button bucks that one could not tell it was a buck from ten yards away...no nubs at all. Just don't shoot small deer.

As a general rule, and one that I follow myself, I always tell guests that are not experienced hunters to not shoot a doe unless there are three together so that they can judge size. Lots of times a pair of twins will run together. So if they see three and they want a doe, have at it, but shoot the biggest one.

Which is the 1" spike

And i hate the excuse "well when you shoot does eventually button bucks get killed too." That one really pisses me off!!!