question about roe doe culling

mereside

Well-Known Member
i have a question i would like to ask i am going out tonight on my permission to hopefully start on my does now i have a few does with triplets i have one single doe with single kid and a couple of twins now my question is when culling to get numbers down would you try and take full familys or would you try and take a couple of young from one adult and a single from another and so on to keep a mix of genes i ask this from a point of view of oppertunity of seeing the does and taking them while i see them .this is only 200 acres with 3 woods with plenty of food when things turn for the worse the ground holds alot of roe over the winter period,thanks and await your responces,wayne
 
If you're looking to temporarily reduce the population, take the kids only and start with the weaker one's, probably one or two of the triplets, and/or one of the twins. This should leave the stronger one's with the guidance of the doe over the winter.

If you're looking to reduce the population more drastically, cull the kids and then take the doe, but this will leave you with less fawns for next spring, so it's all about your management objectives.
 
I would tend to agree but this is assuming all of the kids are female which in itself would be surprising, so do pick only the doe fawns and this might answer the question for you!
You would not really be able to take out an entire family unless you are extraordinarily lucky and that is unlikely to be the case in one session - the fawns won't exactly stand around waiting to be culled if you've just taken out their mother! My advice would be to thin out one of the triplet group and then one of the pair always assuming you are afforded that luxury be being able to be that precise. Then look to take out another of the two remaining triplet family - again assuming they are does.
I personally wouldn't cull any adult doe who has fawns at this stage of the season without good reason - health or injury for example. There's plenty of time to decide on adult culls in December or the New Year unless you're overrun with deer right now.
 
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