Gestation for whitetail?

[OakGroveTiger]

What is the normal time frame for a deer' s gestation? A friend killed a mature doe today, that was pregnant.The unborn fawn had fur, and weighed a little over 9 lbs. I have never heard of a deer bearing a young this late in the year. Do we have an overpopulation problem? Why would this happen? It was killed on a green field in south Jefferson County near Brookwood. She had one other doe with her, and they fed into the field about 10 mins before dark. We have seen several does(25) up to this point, but only 1 buck. Thanks for any help.

[dixiecups]

I have heard from friends of mine that hunt that it is very unusual for a doe to be pregnant this late in season. I am sure it is not impossible but hey crazier stuff has happened. anyways, she probably mated late which is what caused her to be carrying late. Sorry if I could not be more of a help but I thought I would let ya know. ttyl.

[BenfromVa]

Does go into heat and turn on the rut typically in Nov. Now if they don' t breed they will return to the estrous cycle 28 days later(known as the secondary rut). Usually they are going to have a breeder by then, but in a high, real high doe populated area they may not find a breeder the second cycle so in 28 more days they will go into cycle again, Most bucks are worn out on breeding by this time, but this years(Spring birth) fawn bucks tend to drop their testicles late in the winter and are able to breed and will do so, then you have a gestation period of about 180 to 200 days. A deer that breeds in Jan or later will give birth to a fawn that will surely die during a harsh winter or will be with young inside in Oct.