By Heath Wood
For a long time, deer hunters had one main rule: protect the does and go after the bucks. Antlers were the prize, and everything else came second. But as time went on, biologists and seasoned hunters started pointing out that the picture isn’t that simple. In fact, taking a few does can actually help keep the herd healthier and improve the overall hunting experience.
Each year, several factors help fuel my passion and enjoyment for harvesting does during the whitetail deer hunting seasons. First, my family and I prioritize wild game as a primary source of protein in our “eating clean and healthy” lifestyle, so we aim to harvest two or three antlerless deer to help fill the freezer. Second, my responsibility to landowners who kindly allow me to hunt their land is to manage the deer population to maintain a healthy herd, which minimizes crop damage. Third, I firmly believe that managing your doe herd and maintaining balanced buck-to-doe ratios improves the hunting experience during the rut. If there are too many does, bucks don’t have to move as much, so you see them less often while hunting. Lastly, I enjoy deer hunting just as much now as I did when I first started as a young boy. Whether bow hunting or rifle hunting, I get just as excited when I am there to harvest a doe as I do when a mature buck steps out. I simply love deer hunting.
To answer the question of how many does you should take in a year, the answer isn’t one-size-fits-all. It depends on your habitat, your deer herd, and your personal management goals. Striking the right balance requires hunters to think beyond the next venison dinner and consider the bigger picture of deer management.
Balancing a Deer Herd
At the core of the issue is balance, between does and bucks, the number of deer, the land’s capacity, and herd health versus hunter satisfaction. A balanced buck-to-doe ratio is ideally about one buck for every two does, which keeps the rut short, strong, and productive. When does start to outnumber bucks by too much, the rut can drag on for months. That wears down the deer and often leads to fawns being born later than they should be, which lowers their chances of survival. In herds with too many does, even the bucks can suffer, showing smaller racks and poorer overall health. A buck will try to breed as many does as possible during the season. During rut, bucks often ignore eating, drinking, sleeping, and their survival instincts. If they do this for nearly two months, their bodies and health will suffer.
On the other hand, taking too many does can leave a property with a thin herd, fewer fawns the following spring, and reduced hunting opportunities down the road. By scouting, using game cameras, and paying attention to your deer herd, the quality management improves for future years. The number of does you need to harvest will differ on everyone's own land and habitat.
Deer Habitat and Carrying Capacity
Every property can only hold so many deer before it reaches its limit, known as the carrying capacity. Things like food, cover, and water all play a role in where that line is. For example, a big farm with healthy crops and thick timber can handle a lot more deer than a small piece of ground with thin woods and poor soil. But once the herd grows past what the land can support, everything pays the price, bucks and does alike. You’ll start seeing lighter body weights, weaker antler growth, and even a higher chance of disease spreading. In these cases, doe harvest becomes a vital management tool to keep the herd in line with available resources. To assist, hunters can plant food plots, supplement minerals, and provide an extra source of food during the off-seasons if their state allows supplemental feeding. By the end of the hunting season, if you notice that all your food plots are bare and all the extra food is gone, that is a clear sign you have too many deer and need to manage them more effectively.
Personal Goals Matter
At the end of the day, science can guide us, but every hunter sees a season a little differently. A family that counts on venison to fill their freezer might take a few does, while someone focused on mature bucks may only fill one or two tags. What really matters is making choices that fit your goals while keeping the herd healthy.
On the farm I’ve hunted for the past ten years, managing does has become a big part of how we teach the next generation to hunt.
Each year, I have taken multiple kids during the “youth only” hunts that happen twice a year. For this upcoming season, my son will be old enough to hunt on his own, and we will use harvesting does as an excellent opportunity for him to take his first deer. All these hunts have been memorable, fun, and have helped maintain a healthy balance of bucks and does, so we can all enjoy them for years to come.
Insights from Biologists and Hunters
Most wildlife biologists recommend getting a feel for your deer numbers before setting doe harvest goals. Trail cameras, time in the stand, and even talking with neighbors can give you a good sense of whether the herd is growing, holding steady, or dropping off. If fawns are showing up everywhere and deer sightings are common, it might be time to take a few more does. But if deer are scarce, you may want to stick to bucks only that season.
Seasoned hunters will tell you the same thing: stay flexible. One year you might need to take three or four does, and the next it could be best not to take any at all. As one old deer manager put it, “The herd tells you what to do.” Nature throws curveballs: harsh winters, disease, or poor food years, and sometimes the most brilliant move is simply to hold off on harvesting and let the herd bounce back.
So How Many Does Should You Kill?
Ultimately, the correct number of does to harvest each year comes down to this: take enough to maintain balance, but not so many that you reduce the herd below what the land and your goals can support. For some properties, that number may be zero. For others, it might be half a dozen or more.
The key is to be thoughtful. Watch the land, pay attention to the deer, keep your own goals in mind, and be ready to make changes from year to year. There’s no magic number for how many does to take; it’s about managing the herd wisely. When you make decisions with care, you’re setting yourself up for healthier deer and better hunting for years
