does this mean there is a lack of bucks in the area? Every fawn I see has spots still. I figure there is a lack of bucks to service the does but need some input..

I saw 4 fawns the other evening and all had faint but discernable spots. One of them was the tiniest little deer I have ever seen.
Not unusual.
The last spots to go are the ones along the spine. If you shoot a fawn in November you can still sometimes see them, though they are very faint. I have no idea about the buck ratio theory you posed. Never heard that. What wouldthat have to do with it?

I saw one with spots on monday in NJ. It was definately the smallest deer I have ever seen in person. I have seen pics of tiny babies, but this was small and by itself. I never heard anything about the spot/doe-buck ratio thing either. What's that about?

The fawns will lose their spots when they change into their winter coats. In this area some have already changed and some have not though it really doesn’t seem to have anything to do with their size. I saw one large fawn today with lots of very district spots while I saw several on Monday that were smaller fawns, in their winter coats, and you couldn’t see any spots. It does vary when the fawns transition to winter hair though it is basically influenced by the amount of daylight along with to a lesser degree their ages and general nutrition.

As for late fawns that does happen. Often in the past it was a result of a poor buck/doe where there weren’t enough bucks to get the does bred during their first estrus cycle. Late fawns, from a poor buck/doe ratio, are not as much of a problem since antler restrictions as it once was. Now a higher percentage of the late fawns are probably from juvenile does that didn’t come into estrus until December because they weren’t sexually mature until then. That isn’t a problem and is perfectly natural. Late born fawns from adult does are an indication of a poor buck/doe ratio and that is neither normal nor natural.

Dick Bodenhorn
WCO, Elk County

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.

Deer are starting to slip into their winter gray coat here in southern NY (Westchester Co.) also. It won't be long!

As RSB said, the spots go when the winter coat comes in. Late fawns lose their spots at about the same time. Before HR/AR I was with a guy who shot a doe that couldnt have been over 20 lbs. It was in good farm country with plenty of food, This was obviously a very late born fawn but all it's spots were gone and it was in winter coat.

those little ones taste good

my buddy shot a button buck 2 years ago in December that you could make out a row of spots down its back. dressed out at like 49 pounds.

I shot one DEC 12th that still had spots. It was a long shot and never knew it till I found it. I thought it was late and don't think the deer would have made it through a winter being that young.