Blackpowdersmoke

I know all of us that hunt deer have been watching does with their fawns recently, but my question is... what's the most fawns that you've seen does in your area have in a given year?
I see the usual doe or two with one fawn because she was probably a yearling that got bred and it's her first fawn. Then I see a several does with two fawns which is typical of a 1-1/2 or 2-1/2 year old doe... but how many times do any of you see a doe with 3 or even 4 (which is rare) fawns? Last year my neighbor and I both saw a doe with 4 fawns tagging along with her on both his property and mine.
This year I've seen a doe with 3 fawns quite a few times quite close to my place so I know she's living around here and rearing them nearby. Maybe it's the same doe... she's a big ol' gal and I'm sure she's quite woods-wise and has made it through at least four seasons. My neighbor and I made a pact not to shoot her because she's so fertile... not that I won't take a doe, just not her.

BPS

cayugad

I agree, three is rare but I have seen three. I never saw four fawns though.

We worry more about bears. The number of little ones with a Sow. I did once see four cubs. BUT one was so small, I really doubt if it would make it. Two is common, three is no all that uncommon.

Semisane

One or two fawns are the norm in our area. Very rarely see three.

super_hunt54

A Doe out at one of the places I hunt here has dropped trips for the past 3 seasons. Always 2 Does and a Buck. Weird how that happens. Only one around here I've seen dropping trips. Mostly singles and a few dropping twins. Been leaving the tripper alone. Her Bucks seem to be some fine examples so far. But my trigger finger does have a tendency to itch a bit when she is around. Big ole girl she is! Just may be the last year she gets away from my crock pot!

WV Hunter

I have seen 3 a couple times ever, but mostly one or two. Never even heard of 4 around this area. I guess it could happen, gotta be extremely rare.

ronlaughlin

Never have ever seen four fawns by one doe. Have seen three fawns many times. Two is not abnormal, maybe usual. We have been experiencing a lion problem, but hunting them has seemed to help. What i really like to see is two big grown fawns with a doe in the late winter, early spring. This seems a tell; the lion didn't eat them. Hopefully the deer population is increasing, and hopefully we can get tags.

Muley Hunter

I've seen three, but never four. We have so many bears, cats, and coyotes it would be tough for four fawns to survive.

Personally, I can't bring myself to shoot a doe, or even a spike.

WV Hunter

We are the opposite. Too many deer, not enough predators. We shoot alot of does every year and it still isn't enough. We've had seasons where we've shot 60+... seems to not make much of a dent in the overall population. The buck/doe ratio has gotten better it seems. We see alot more bucks than we did 15yrs ago.

Our unwritten rule for our club is everyone in our group should have a goal of shooting 2-3 does each, and look for a buck that will make you happy. I shoot a buck about every 5yrs. Unfortunately I don't normally see something that I want to shoot but its fun passing the younger bucks.

Its interesting to see how the populations and seasons vary by location. I wonder if the lower populations and survival rates cause the does to naturally have more fawns?

Muley Hunter

My dad had his own set of rules, and he drove them into me and my brother for the 30 years we all hunted together. One of the rules was we never shot anything but a bull, buck, or boar.

Even though i've hunted solo for the last 30 years after my dad and brother passed away. I still live by his rules. I did shoot a cow once, but probably won't do it again.

Another of dad's rules was if the hunt is too easy, it doesn't deserve a kill. A doe seems way to easy to kill around here.

I won't get into the other rules. They're pretty strict. I will say some involve still hunting with open sights.

All my hunts are in honor of my dad. I couldn't do that if I broke the rules.

Blackpowdersmoke

We have our share of predators. A good population of bear and way too darn many coyotes. Toss in some bobcat and fisher which will both take fawns on occasion and the fact that a busy State route follows the valley I live in makes for a lot of road killed deer.

The doe we saw last year with 4 was the first and only I've ever seen with 4, which makes me wonder if the one I see now with 3 is the same one. I would have thought that after the extremely long, cold winter we had here it would cause the does to have less this spring. The deer were eating anything they could find by late winter, I say this because I had a large pile of lawn grass I swept up over the summer and left on a far corner of the yard and by mid March, they had eaten all of it and they usually won't bother with it.

We watched momma and her 3 out on the far end of the yard a few evenings ago. Those little buggers are fun to watch... running around, jumping over each other, and just raising cane like little kids!

BPS