Deer hunting is a whirlpool of beliefs, theories, facts and fallacies. Some ideas are right. Some are wrong. And others fall somewhere in-between.

Now, I’m not saying your granddaddy ain’t a good deer hunter. Chances are he’s killed more deer with his open-sighted, lever-action Marlin 30-30 than all the local youngins hollerin’ “Smoked him,” “Pole-waxed that joker,” or my personal (least) favorite, “Just gave that ol’ slob a dirt nap” combined. But our past (and current) generations of deer hunters are somewhat responsible for a number of myths that deer hunters still believe today.

All joking aside, I’m sure your granddaddy is/was a great deer hunter. So was your daddy. And so are you. That said, there’s quite a few fallacies that have floated around the deer hunting wavelengths for far too long. And it’s high-time we snuff out the false flames.

1 The Biggest Doe Is Always the Oldest One

It’s a common belief the oldest doe in the herd is also always the biggest doe. Not true. Does generally reach their peak body size/weight around the age of four or five. Older does, especially those that make it past the age of seven or eight, typically weigh less than middle-aged does.On the flip side, it’s important to understand what you’re looking at with each given encounter. If a doe and two fawns step out, sure, the biggest one is the oldest doe. However, if six or seven antlerless deer walk into view, don’t automatically assume the biggest is the oldest. Sometimes really old does can resemble yearling and 2-year-old does. Pay close attention to other body characteristics and weight/fat distribution to see the entire picture.

2 Age Determines Sexual Maturity in Doe Fawns

Many people believe doe fawns become sexually mature once they reach a certain age. That’s false. They become sexually mature once they reach a certain weight. Different doe fawns reach that weight threshold at different ages. Factors that influence when this threshold is reached include time of birth, its mother’s effectiveness as a provider/protector, weather, available food sources and genetics. To further illustrate this, approximately 50 percent of doe fawns in the Midwest breed their first fall and a much lower percentage do so in the Southeast. Better food and habitat allow most fawns in the Midwest to reach that weight much sooner than their southeastern cousins. Some doe fawns will conceive. Some won’t conceive until they’re 1½ years old the following fall. Others breed somewhere in-between. But it’s different for every doe and weight is the deciding factor.

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Source: Josh Honeycutt/REALTREE.COM