spotted fawn
12-02-2013, 04:15 PM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 749
spotted fawn
Last Friday November 29 while hunting I saw a spotted fawn. It was with a big doe and one from last year. The middle sized doe was the normal color for this time of year. The adult doe was still in its summer red coat. I guess she w as s the mother of the spotted fawn. Has anyone seen a spotted fawn this late or later. My dad said he seen one year's ago on thanksgiving.
12-02-2013, 05:33 PM
#3
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Allegan, MI
Posts: 8,019
***Deer don't and can't breed all year around. A doe may cycle in a few times if she isn't bred, but if the bucks are not hard-horned they don't have the testosterone level to breed a doe even if she comes in at a weird time of the year. Studies show that a doe may come into heat about 5 times starting in October at this latitude until the bucks lose their antlers and that doesn't happen until late winter in some bucks. I saw twin spotted fawns once back in the late 60s during our November deer season here in southern Michigan and one that is dropped in late May to early June like is normal up here would have lost it's spots by September at the latest.
12-02-2013, 05:53 PM
#4
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Virginia
Posts: 114
About 5 years ago I seen a spotted fawn around thanksgiving myself. It was only about 20 pounds and looked to have just been born. That would put the doe being bred after may 1st. Makes no sense at all and doesn't seem possible. I cant find another explanation for it though.
12-02-2013, 06:41 PM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,359
***Deer don't and can't breed all year around. A doe may cycle in a few times if she isn't bred, but if the bucks are not hard-horned they don't have the testosterone level to breed a doe even if she comes in at a weird time of the year. Studies show that a doe may come into heat about 5 times starting in October at this latitude until the bucks lose their antlers and that doesn't happen until late winter in some bucks. I saw twin spotted fawns once back in the late 60s during our November deer season here in southern Michigan and one that is dropped in late May to early June like is normal up here would have lost it's spots by September at the latest.
mid January is the latest I have witnessed breeding with my own eyes which would leave them having spots now. My buddy shot the mature buck that was breeding the doe. 4 more bucks were in pursuit one of which had already shed one of his antlers.
I have seen quite a few fawns that had to be conceived when they were not supposed to be.
Last edited by rockport; 12-02-2013 at 06:46 PM.
12-02-2013, 06:52 PM
#6
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Allegan, MI
Posts: 8,019
It all depends on the latitude you're talking about. Deer up here in the midwest breed in late October through November and fawns of the year sometimes will come in and be bred in December and even into January. Deer down in Texas on into Mexico don't breed until well into December on through January. Does down there could be bred on into Spring if they are missed in a few cycles. That may be what you mean when you say you read fawns have been seen in just about every month.
12-02-2013, 07:05 PM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,359
It all depends on the latitude you're talking about. Deer up here in the midwest breed in late October through November and fawns of the year sometimes will come in and be bred in December and even into January. Deer down in Texas on into Mexico don't breed until well into December on through January. Does down there could be bred on into Spring if they are missed in a few cycles. That may be what you mean when you say you read fawns have been seen in just about every month.
Growing up we had an unreal deer population though. Like it was nothing to drive 10 miles of an evening and count 1000+ deer.
12-03-2013, 12:18 AM
#10
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 9,230
I spent 4 years in Pensacola, FL and the peak of the rut there usually hit right around Martin Luther King Day. There is a late muzzleoader season in FL that runs to the end of Feb and I always saw at least some sign (scrapes, rubs, buck hot on the does etc...) for most of that season. In VA, where I'm stationed right now, the rut normally hits around Thanksgiving. In CO where I was raised the rut hits late Nov oor early Dec.
The farther South you go, the later the rut is. I'm not sure about the deer farther South than Mexico though. Whitetails is some form exist clear down into Central America. I know a guy that hunts Guyana and he does some guiding for whitetails in the tropics there.
I admit I've never seen spotted fawn while hunting but I did see an elk calf once with spots during CO's muzzleloader season years ago. That would have been late Sept or early Oct.
The farther South you go, the later the rut is. I'm not sure about the deer farther South than Mexico though. Whitetails is some form exist clear down into Central America. I know a guy that hunts Guyana and he does some guiding for whitetails in the tropics there.
I admit I've never seen spotted fawn while hunting but I did see an elk calf once with spots during CO's muzzleloader season years ago. That would have been late Sept or early Oct.
Last edited by flags; 12-03-2013 at 12:22 AM.