wingbar

sure was got a full pattern on 8 shot on them with my SKB 20 ga. I should be so lucky to hit a grouse on the wing with a bow&arrow WB

livbucks

Actually, they have whats called delayed implantation. The doe holds the fertilized egg for a long period before development begins. Otherwise they would starve real quick in the dead of winter with a growing "parasite" inside them.

I'm sorry, to answer your question....You could never tell that they were even pregnant at this time of year. Probably as big as the tip of your pinky finger.

BTBowhunter

Dont know much about delayed implantation But a few years ago I shot one on the last day of late muzzy season around mid January and there were two well formed fetuses in her. Both about 3-4 inches long and you could even tell one was a buck

deaddeer

Do you have a link to a study that supports that theory ? Personally I have never heard of that regarding deer.

ulysses

boy that's one to be proud of hope you thought of those fetus with each fork full

livbucks

DD,
I may be off on the exact terminology. But did you ever shoot a doe and get a fetus roast for Sunday supper? Oh, I forgit, you only shoot them buttons.

livbucks

Right!
By the end of January they will be developing somewhat, but they are still very small. Like I said, right now they are about as big as the tip of your pinky. And some does are just now being bred.

livbucks

You are correct DD, delayed implantation isn't the right word for it. There is another term used to describe the protracted development of whitetail fawns. Maybe someone else can kick in. I read an article that described how the whitetail gestation is slow in the first stages for survival reasons.
I'll look for it.

ulysses

about those feetus, last time I looked every button buck had 4

livbucks

I dug up some info and am looking for more.

I found that a whitetail fetus grows more than 60% of it's size in the final trimester. This is timed to take winter stress off the doe and to coincide with the spring plant growth.
also... A fetus in a doe that was bred around Nov 15 will be less than 8 inches in length at the end of Feb, 100 days after conception.
Still fairly small heading into March.

I used the term delayed implantation, OOPS, that's black bears. Sorry, wrong term.

I still can't find the exact article. I didn't read it on the web. Probably not published on the web.