Most of us wait until after the rut and later in the season, December or even January where legal, to shoot a doe or two for the freezer. But should we consider filling our doe tags now? Specialists at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) say targeting antlerless deer earlier in the year has its advantages. They note that shooting does and reducing the total number of deer in an area can have an immediate impact on available food and habitat. Less overall pressure on available nutrients can help bucks achieve better physical condition as the rut approaches. Healthier bucks can lead to more successful breeding and therefore better hunting during the rut, since bucks stay active and on the search for does. One [...]