Lower Michigan (thumb). Are the fawns ready to go it without mom? Are racks velvet free? Been watching a twin pair and single fawn situation on my property. No spots and getting a bit independent. Have not seen bucks. Thoughts?

if they are offering an early season , a two-fer on deer mortality is a win for them.

you shoot ma and fawn is coyote bait , that is a win in population control , and that is why there is an early doe season typically.

looks like yall have a youth season this weekend and a early antlerless next , I would take that as they don't care how many you kill it won't be enough

What I thought. I am on the fence on this hunt. Thinking of taking my daughter out Saturday. My property is rural on a paved road (100 acres). I live just over a mile from 2 state highways. Deer car incidents are often and a persons life was lost due to one a short time ago.

Thinking the numbers don't lie. Just looking for peoples thoughts.

Many times orfanned fawns will get taken in by another mature doe.

Fawns will make it otherwise the DNR probably wouldn't allow an early season is my opinion.

we can agree to disagree ,

I agree some will survive , some won't but in the end I don't think the DNR cares , they are under pressure to do something to reduce car deer collisions from citizens

if they are that frequent , then there are excess deer

so a dead deer is a dead deer on the spreadsheet at the end


but that is just my opinion

DNR has been issuing damage permits across southern part of state for weeks this summer. Piles of does and fawns have been killed. Not even putting a dent in them but since the overpopulation trend started decades ago with the increase in leases and trophy hunts a few less does simply doesn’t have much impact.

You may be right.

our archery season opens this weekend (Sept 13), Monday I saw a buck with velvet yet.

In the end the only way we try (but fail) to keep the herd under control in the southern 1/2 is hunting.

OP, take your Daughter out, don't worry about the herd.

deer reproduce very fast, even if they were over harvested (they won't be) a couple of years and the population can bounces right back.

BlackBirdsBirds has a point in that a few less does simply has very little impact.
Even if a bunch of fawns die as a result.

DNR doesn't care about a bunch of fawns, they can't, they are managing a herd not a bunch of fawns.