ROBERT F. BUKATY/Associated Press A whitetail doe and her fawn keep an eye out from a field. It’s the last few days of rifle deer season and now just may be the time to target does and fill doe tags.

We are entering the last few days of rifle deer season and now is the time to target does. Yes, I said it. Now is the time to fill doe tags. Let me explain why.

Aside from the Saturday opener there is probably no topic that divides Pennsylvania hunters as much as shooting does. One group marks their calendar and sets reminders on their smartphones so they can remember when each round of tags will be available. They will stand in line or sit by the computer now for hours to get the WMU they want. Others refuse even to consider buying a doe tag or do so simply so someone else doesn’t get it to use. While I do not consider myself part of the former group, harvesting is an integral part of both the hunting experience and the herd’s overall management.

Despite what some may believe, the number of available doe tags is determined by what biologists have decided is in the best interest of the herd. Every species needs to maintain an overall balance, both in male-to-female ratios and in overall population–overpopulation results in reduced herd health, increased crop damage and increased susceptibility to disease or predators.

The easiest way to do this is to limit the number of breeding does. So why is now the perfect time to fill your doe tags?

First the season is winding down, so there are only a few days left. If you don’t do it now, you will not be able to, unless you brave the late season with your bow or flintlock.

Second it allows you to extend your hunting experience. If you have already filled a buck tag or been unsuccessful in finding the big antlers that drove you to get up at zero dark thirty on opening day, chasing does gives you a reason to keep hitting the woods.

Third many hunters are looking for meat. Antlers are a bonus, but the real goal is to fill the freezer. Not only can several smaller does yield more meals in the coming year, many will tell you the meat is better.

Finally because filling doe tags is an easier way to end your season with a win, most current studies, both those conducted internally by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and externally by Penn State or the National Deer Association, show the doe-to-buck ratio at 3:1 or better.

This, and the fact that does travel together more frequently than bucks, means there is a better chance of seeing a doe while on stand. When you consider antler restriction, the ability to shoot what you see increases even more.

I admit I spent the first couple of days hunting some big bucks I had seen on the property and, given the opportunity, they will still be my first shot. But with the season winding down and tags still in my backpack, anything that crosses in front of me is fair game.

Does be fair warned: meat sticks are meat sticks.