We havebetween two and fivefawns out back here, almost on a daily basis now that they've discovered our apples.Within the past twoweeks, all have lost their spots and started to slip into their gray winter coats. Two are much smaller than the rest, but are now about the same color as their playmates.

In this suburban woodlot habitat, there have never been that many bucks, so I've always assumed the little fellers we see late in summerare a product of too few bucks for the available does.

No shortage of does hereabouts, but near's I can tell from my own sightings and the info from others in thearea that see deer on a regular basis, there have only been two or threebucks observed within a half mile of our place. I haven't seen a buck here yet this year, but a guy that feeds them dailyon the other side of the woodlot, has seen the same two for thepast few months.

Up at camp in Tioga Co. over Labor Day, noted that most of the fawns have lost their spots and more deer are already turning gray, than here at home.