The best time of the season to kill your animals

• Outdoor columnist Ben Smith says it's a good strategy to have the total number of animals to kill in mind before you even start hunting for the season.

From the looks of it, Mississippi's third season appears to have been a success. I saw some really nice bucks land on the ground along with several more kids shooting their first buck ever with a bow! It's an exciting time for hunters across Mississippi as it truly begins deer season for all of us. Even if you're like me and haven't participated in velvet hunting, seeing pictures of dead bucks from around the state has to get you excited for the season ahead.

And speaking of the upcoming season, there's a theme that's come up again and again in several conversations I've had with other hunters recently. The topic of “When is the best time to kill deer on your property?” is a topic in a deer camp conversation that typically has hunters on opposite ends of the spectrum from Democrats or Republicans. It's an ongoing debate that usually provokes strong reactions on both sides.

Because I know my audience and how passionate most of you are, I want to settle the debate for you. There is no right or wrong time. How about that as an answer? I'll explain my reasoning here shortly, so don't leave just yet. I have one exception to not killing a deer for a while, and that is during the rutting season. And it has nothing to do with their breeding cycle. I just don't kill deer during rutting season because that's usually one of the easiest times to kill a buck.

I mentioned that hunters are on different ends of the “killing deer” spectrum. There is a group that says kill all your animals before the rut comes. I don't mind that logic, but not for the reason most of them talk about. I think that in many ways it makes sense to kill your own animals at the beginning of the season. First, it reduces your population of breeding females, causing bucks to step up and work harder to find a hot deer. Secondly, the meat is placed in the freezer at the beginning of the season, which makes it a little less spicy. I'm a much better hunter when I have meat in the freezer and don't rush to kill a deer. It makes my winter hunts much more enjoyable.

Note that I didn't say anything about killing cows before breeding. I've heard countless hunters over the years talk about not killing a deer after the rut, just in case it has already bred. I never understood this logic. If you kill a doe in October, she will not give birth in July. And if you kill a doe again in January, she will not give birth in July. Isn't that the same thing?

Breeding time in Mississippi is between early December and early February, depending on which part of the state you are in. You hear stories of turkey hunters claiming to see bucks hunting deer in March, and I don't dispute that this is the case. This doesn't happen, but it's not normal. Given this information and solid data, the likelihood of killing a late-season deer that has already developed a fetus is fairly low. I think it's safe to say that you're more likely to kill an early season doe that hasn't yet shed her young than you are to encounter a late season doe that has already developed a fetus.

Another argument for not killing all of your animals during the pre-rut is that the bucks need something to keep them close. Your food plots and corn feeders will keep them busy for a while, but sooner or later they will need something more. They won't eat for days in search of that scent. So what does that tell you? Better keep some of these animals around if you want to see money in December.

So is there a way to balance this? I think so. Just as I believe that no one should be on the extreme left or right ends of the political spectrum, the same applies to killing. Depending on your total deer population and the adult deer population on your property, I like the idea of ​​killing half of your total population before the rut and the other half of your total population right after the rut. It's a good strategy to keep track of the total number of animals to kill before you even begin hunting for the season.

Having said all of that, the best indicator of whether or not you need to shoot a deer is quite simple. If you need meat and a shooting opportunity presents itself, shoot the deer. Don't miss the opportunity to stock the freezer just because someone said it wasn't the right time for you to kill a deer. The main reason for hunting is meat. That's what you're there for. Shoot the deer.

As we're about to dive headfirst into deer season, here's something else to keep in mind: Don't let the first day of your hunt miss what you'll harvest on the last day. I wish I would take my own advice sometimes. I can't tell you how many times I leave something running at the beginning of the season, waiting for something better, only to go home with an empty cooler. I spent the entire drive back wishing I had killed that deer earlier in the season. We are never promised tomorrow and we are never promised anything bigger and better, so remember that. And as always, practice forest safety. Know your target long before you put your finger on the trigger so we can all go hunting again tomorrow.