New deer farmer here so bear with me. We are looking at buying our first couple bred does and I have an opportunity to buy 2 bred 5 year old does. My question is, how old is too old for purchasing bred does? Our thought was, if we can get a couple years of producing our of them, it will be ok. What are your thoughts? Thanks for the help!!
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Many of use have had does conceive live fawns at 12 years old. My question is are they producing 200 inch bucks? If not because fawns are so cheap I would go for a top notch bred fawn over a just a doe. Think long term in this industry.
It is sad but the doe market is all but gone. Our preserve has 3-4 year old does that consistently produce 180-220" 2 year olds and they are being hunted for $250. We are re building our foundation doe herd from this years fawns that are wide tall and heavy framed typicals. Our hunters have proven they want typical with minimal extras like less than 10% non typical. We have to get them to 180-210 " by 2 years old or we at best break even. A 3 year old at 180 is a break even deer. Build your herd off the best does you can find but my advice is stay wide and typical on the pedigree. Bred does are a great way to start. Good luck
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It is sad but the doe market is all but gone. Our preserve has 3-4 year old does that consistently produce 180-220" 2 year olds and they are being hunted for $250. We are re building our foundation doe herd from this years fawns that are wide tall and heavy framed typicals. Our hunters have proven they want typical with minimal extras like less than 10% non typical. We have to get them to 180-210 " by 2 years old or we at best break even. A 3 year old at 180 is a break even deer. Build your herd off the best does you can find but my advice is stay wide and typical on the pedigree. Bred does are a great way to start. Good luckGood advice!
Not something you will read in an auction catalog or hear mentioned while folks are hyping twisted up genetics.
It is sad but the doe market is all but gone. Our preserve has 3-4 year old does that consistently produce 180-220" 2 year olds and they are being hunted for $250. We are re building our foundation doe herd from this years fawns that are wide tall and heavy framed typicals. Our hunters have proven they want typical with minimal extras like less than 10% non typical. We have to get them to 180-210 " by 2 years old or we at best break even. A 3 year old at 180 is a break even deer. Build your herd off the best does you can find but my advice is stay wide and typical on the pedigree. Bred does are a great way to start. Good luckGood advice!
Not something you will read in an auction catalog or hear mentioned while folks are hyping twisted up genetics.
I like does that are a few years old because they've had time to fawn a couple times. The only down side with older deer is they don't like my dog whereas my fawns are raised with him and they play with him instead of stressing. You can buy deer that sell for thousands this year in a few years for just a thousand or two, makes more sense to me to be a couple years behind the hype and buy adult does.
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Less than five years ago we spent $18,500 on an 11 year old doe White #18. I got the daughter from her I wanted. We have had many does that have had twins and trips at around 15 years old. I have some old Patrick does that are 12-15 that are still as thick as 7 year olds. They are a little more stove up than at seven but they are still fertile. We have still been letting them raise their fawns. Next spring I plan to pull their fawns for the first time.
Finding the most economical way to raise the cleanest yet highest scoring bucks is what we are trying to do at our place. The ever looming threat of EHD, antler infections, and the web of the federal CWD standards has taught us it is foolish to spend much on semen or sell our breeding stock. Our deer are all now being bred to stock our preserve. How can folks justify spending thousands of dollars on semen or a deer when EHD outbreaks are becoming more and more frequent? The last doe I bought at the top 30 died the following fall(2014) of EHD. It is also just a miracle our farm has escaped the web spun by the language of the CWD standards document.
Finding the most economical way to raise the cleanest yet highest scoring bucks is what we are trying to do at our place. The ever looming threat of EHD, antler infections, and the web of the federal CWD standards has taught us it is foolish to spend much on semen or sell our breeding stock. Our deer are all now being bred to stock our preserve. How can folks justify spending thousands of dollars on semen or a deer when EHD outbreaks are becoming more and more frequent? The last doe I bought at the top 30 died the following fall(2014) of EHD. It is also just a miracle our farm has escaped the web spun by the language of the CWD standards document.
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I'm breeding a 10 yr old. She can prolly breed for a few more yrs. I know someone that has a 15 yr old doe still producing so a 5yr old is perfectly acceptable. she will give you years of babies
Another question while we are on the doe topic if you all don't mind. I've visited a few farms trying to gather as much knowledge as I can. Something that one farmer told me is he does not know what to do with all his does. Each year of having doe fawns I can see where at some point you would get more than you want or have room for. What do you guys do with them?
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What is your market? If you are raising shooters breed to male sexed semen. If you are going to keep does then make sure you have damn good genetics and breedings you can sell. There are options. Preserves take does but won't pay crap for them.
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I had an 18 year old mule deer get bred by my yearling breeder last year and she had twins! The difference is that in the mule deer industry does are in high demand and actually harder to find than a buck! Nobody is shooting mule does for meat!
Ben , you are right on about the mule deer market. Does are $2500 each and bred does are $5-6000. Several of our does are teenagers and still producing great fawns. On the other hand .....our whitetail does produce 200" two year olds or they are down the road. We have been able to trade a lot of our doe fawns for shooter bucks that we need on the preserve. Otherwise a shooter whitetail doe is a $200 freezer filler at our preserve.
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Another question while we are on the doe topic if you all don't mind. I've visited a few farms trying to gather as much knowledge as I can. Something that one farmer told me is he does not know what to do with all his does. Each year of having doe fawns I can see where at some point you would get more than you want or have room for. What do you guys do with them?
WERE TRYING SOMETHING NEW WITH OUR DOE FAWNS THIS YEAR WERE SACRIFICING A BUCK FAWN TO THE PEOPLE WHO RESERVE UNBORN DOE FAWNS
Another question while we are on the doe topic if you all don't mind. I've visited a few farms trying to gather as much knowledge as I can. Something that one farmer told me is he does not know what to do with all his does. Each year of having doe fawns I can see where at some point you would get more than you want or have room for. What do you guys do with them?
WERE TRYING SOMETHING NEW WITH OUR DOE FAWNS THIS YEAR WERE SACRIFICING A BUCK FAWN TO THE PEOPLE WHO RESERVE UNBORN DOE FAWNS
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WERE TRYING SOMETHING NEW WITH OUR DOE FAWNS THIS YEAR WERE SACRIFICING A BUCK FAWN TO THE PEOPLE WHO RESERVE UNBORN DOE FAWNS
Nice idea Travis.
WERE TRYING SOMETHING NEW WITH OUR DOE FAWNS THIS YEAR WERE SACRIFICING A BUCK FAWN TO THE PEOPLE WHO RESERVE UNBORN DOE FAWNS
Nice idea Travis.
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I have to admit I am torn on the topic of doe ages. Is a 5 yr old doe too old to buy? Oh heck no! Many good years ahead of her yet. However IF we are breeding correctly each new generation SHOULD be even better. That said they all are not. Some crosses increase or maintain the high level of production, while some crosses diminish the quality.
Another concern is the "dreaded cwd" issue. Unlike many others, I do not believe cwd is only "spread" by animal contact or environmental contamination. I believe much like Alzheimer's and cancer deer have the potential to have it as they age. It is no accident that many of the does found in a preserve happen to be 8 or so years old.
Just thoughts for consideration.
Another concern is the "dreaded cwd" issue. Unlike many others, I do not believe cwd is only "spread" by animal contact or environmental contamination. I believe much like Alzheimer's and cancer deer have the potential to have it as they age. It is no accident that many of the does found in a preserve happen to be 8 or so years old.
Just thoughts for consideration.
We are fortunate to not have to deal withEHD in northern MN. We lose a few to wolves , bears , and even a mountain lion on rare occasion but nothing that will destroy the entire herd like EHD. We seem to re establish our doe foundation every 2 or 3 years or so and cycle out 5 year old does . We still believe our newest fawns are our best genetic up to 5 generations on a family group . This is a year to recycle so we end up preserve hunting approx 40 does. Every trophy buck hunt gets free does up to 3 per Hunter. Otherwise it's $250 per doe and $200 per doe after that. We have learned through the years to get 4or 5 in our freezers because there is no better piece of meat anywhere. The other problem with doe hunters is they take space and time away from buck hunts that Are profitable. Part of the cost of doing business I guess.
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When I find a doe that produces 15 tines and single brows I will try and keep her until she dies of old age. It is very easy to ruin a disciplined typical doe herd with one generation of breeding to a typical looking sire born out of a nontypical sire.