I don't normally shoot does in my local hunting areas. When I do, I wait until the end of the season or at least after I've already filled my buck tag. In Tennessee we are allowed 3 bucks total for the season (one per day) and with proper tags we can shoot three deer a day (again, only one buck/day) I prefer to let the max number of does roam through the rut, hoping they will attract more bucks onto the properties I hunt. Then when/if the time comes for me to harvest a doe, I take the most mature doe I can find in a group. I prefer not to take lone does, hoping to not mistake a button buck for a doe. This past season I took one buck in Tennesse, one in Kentucky and one in Indiana and no does. I took a doe during last season's late ML hunt in Kentucky that was one I'd seen three or four times during rifle season and thought was a monster. She dressed at 148.
I think it would be best to choose the biggest doe that doesn't have a fawn or two trailing. My thought here is the doe may be past breeding age or you are reducing the herd most likely by three since most does have twins in the spring. Also by shooting the bigger doe more venison goes in the freezer, the smaller does consume less food than the adult does. Seems there are lots of ways to answer this question and the bottom line is the individual hunter makes the final decision keeping in mind on public lands not all hunters would respond like this. I have seen some little does harvested in the name of conservation.
The bag limit in Maryland is 10 during bow, 10 during firearms, 10 during muzzleloader. In Delaware it is total 4 does, 2 bucks one must be taken with Quality Buck tag. Additional doe tags may be purchased. Even with these liberal bag limits there are still lots of does that are not takenin some areas. QDMA is just getting started here in DE been around for about 5 years. On public lands most likely if it is brown it is downed, some Bucks make it to three years or more, but you see a lot of smaller bucks that didn't make it, the same is true for the does
