choosing a cow to shoot without a calf, how?

so im seeing all these trailcam pics on the site of cows with calves all over....im not so big on the idea of shooting a cow with a little one...to each there own on that, but not so much for me.

any tips on finding a dry cow if they are all grouped up together? i shot the mother of a fawn one time (completely on accident) i couldnt see the fawn and the moaning and whining from the fawn standing by the doe made me feel sick, would rather not do that again, ever.
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Tyewire
Shoot a bull, Problem solved! lol

But seriously, I'm not sure. Find a lone cow or study the heard if possible before making a shot. A lot easier said than done. maybe someone else has a better way.

Good Hunting!!
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ha yeah if i see a spike im set...im hoping for a lone cow, but who knows that i will actually get that opportunity...no bull in this unit and im too unprepared this season to do scout an any bull unit maybe next year..
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I hear calf taste pretty good and much easier to carry out of there... Although, I probably couldn't shoot a calf either.
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sneekeepete
Shoot a calf or a yearling. Those are your best chances of not shooting a cow with calf. Plus they are both easily spotted due to size difference if they are in a herd any way.
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TheHardWay
I'm with you, I choose not to shoot a cow with a calf. Your best bet to taking a dry cow is to study the heard for a while and see which cow doesn't have a little one hanging around.
If I had to decide, I would take a calf over taking a cow with a little one. The cow has a better chance of survival if losing her baby. I don't think this would be true the other way around. However, I personally won't shoot a calf because you never know if you are taking what might be a trophy bull in the future.
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Eat a calf/yearling(yummy),leave those old calf producing cows(tough) in the herd. :thumb
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yeah i hear calf is so much better.....but im pretty positive i couldnt shoot one..maybe if it was lost from the herd or lamed up somehow, i just cant do it otherwise
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Just bring your camera and take their picture then you won't have to worry about it.
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Buckmaster
I think the calf / yearling they are talking about is not a calf with spots (this years) a yearling will be about 4-6in. shorter in the height than that of a 2 year old or older cow.

And yes they are delicious, so don’t look at it as a calf, think 1 ½ year old & Veal all year long ;-)”
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well we shall see how it goes, couple days now :)
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As stated, the yearlings are smaller than the other cows, but bigger than the calves. The calves look small because they are next to the cows. I shot a calf two years ago. He was at least as big as the 4 point buck I shot a few weeks earlier. They are plenty old enough to do fine without mama.
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