Newborn Fawns in Oct?

[Swap Buck]

I just went out and checked my camera today and found a pic of two newborn fawns. Thay can't be more then a week or two old. All the other fawns I had coming in are a lot bigger and no spots what so ever. These two are covered in bright white spots. Is this common and will they make it?

[Musky Buck]

I'd guess it's not common and I think they'll have a hard time making it especially if mom dies. The other fawns have a 4 month older advantage. It would have been better for them I would guess if this fall would've been like some of the very warm ones like a few years back. Hope for the best !

[harvey lee]

Can you post these pics? I would love to see them.

Thanks

[Jim Uran]

I've seen deer with bright spots this late in the year, but can't imagine seeing newborns in October.

[Swap Buck]

[Bear55]

Yikes those fawns are in trouble, I doubt they will make the winter. I have seen a few late born fawns before but nothing that small.

[Jim Uran]

HOLY MOLY!!!!!!! Wow those are like midgets or something.

[rbs]

I have seen one just a little bit bigger up north rifle hunting so I am guessing it isn't too rare. The one I saw had hooves about a 1-1/2" long...really small. Still not as small as those two but there is still another month till rifle season.

[Musky Buck]

Whatever they are eating I'd keep plenty of it there for em. But, likely a losing battle, but what a quality picture, I wonder if you have any other pictures of that doehead, I know lots of em look alike, but wonder if you had her on a week or two ago alone and if you could tell she was pregnant, looks like they are traveling at least in the dark with ma.

[Gissert]

They look to be about a month old. I've seen fawn born in the first week of September on two other occasions.

[TrophyEyes]

A guy that I know shot one that looked like that during Muzzleload season a few years back. He shot it because there was no way it was going to make it and he made a rug out of it. He said the 10 lbs of meat was awesome as well. Personally, I thought it was pretty sick, but then again if he has a tag, then it was legal.

[Cicada]

Last week I saw a group of turkeys near Pelican Rapids. The adults were normal size, but the young ones wer smaller than an average chicken. I thought they looked like a late hatch bunch.

Also, heard on the radio that western North Dakota had a lot of late hatches of pheasants.

Might be a good winter for the predators.

[Sorgy]

These late fawns have to be the offspring of fawns that were bred durring Jan or Februrary. We all know a buck will drop his antlers but he is ready to breed at any time

We had a similar instance about 3 or 4 years ago. I was walking out of the woods-along a spruce swamp and a grassy area came together. Something took off right at my feet and as it went around a tree 15 feet in front of me I saw a flag. I turned around and asked if Mark had seen that and he said he just saw the scurring. 2 weeks later Mark is coming out around MEA weekend and sees a wolf standing there. It was a Big black one. He was the Alfa male of a pack we had in Angora. But he was standing there not wanting to give much ground all of a suden he took off after a short stand off. Mark continued down the trail to leave his stand and had to walk past where the wolf was standing. There on the ground was this little fawn that was just taken down. The reality of life in the woods of Northern MN.

the fawn was killed only 100 yards from where we had first seen it. When I saw it it looked just a little bigger than a Jackrabbit.

We saw and had that wolf pack in our area all thru the firearms deer season and Mark had a chance to see 3 other wolves and the big black Alpha. Our deer hunting is pretty poor when the wolves are in our area.

Interesting topic.

Steve

[Gofishleech]

If these fawns are 1 month old, when did the doe breed? Just curious as it had to be pretty late in the year.

[jkcmj]

Two years ago my brother killed a doe with a full term fawn inside during the shotgun season. It had all hair and spots, and would have been born any day. Just the one inside, looked to be a yearling doe. We were going to have it mounted, but never got around to getting the tag that night, then were worried to call it in as we didn't think they would believe us.

[JeffB]

About 20 yrs ago I saw a fawn with white spots in Nov. That's the latest I've ever seen.

[archerystud]

Wow that is a rare photo since it from a working Cuddeback!!! j/k.

In nearly 20 years of bowhunting I have on occasion seen some very small fawns. I'm not a deer biologist but I wonder if a doe loses her fawns early enough, if she will have another estrous cycle.

[sticknstring]

That's a good question. I know it happens with other species. If the sex ratio was really lopsided in that area, that doe could have recycled 3 times and finally gotten pregnant in middle of Feb. The 200 day gestation period would put the birth sometime around the 1st week of September and would make the fawns a little over a month old. This occurrence has to be very rare, probably in the 98th percentile or greater. Anybody know?

[John478]

Several years ago afriend of friend of mine took a doe in the early bow season that was still carring two fawns. He called a CO about it and he said although rare it does happen. Even if she was breed the first time she came in heat in the fall it doesn't always take or she could miscarriage. If this happens she will can in heat again and agian untill it does.

The guy felt bad about taking the doe but the CO told him the fawns whould have never made it though the winter any way.

Sad thing is these two probably won't either.

[harvey lee]

Years ago when I registered deer my wife said a guy came and registered a smaller fawn while I was gone. She told me it was more like a glove box deer as it was so small.

[slimngrizzly]

Its a classic example of what happens when the buck/doe ratio is too far out of whack! When all the bucks get shot off, then theres not enough to breed the does during the first cycle. They keep cycling until the job is done.

Traditional Deer Management at its finest.

[Surface Tension]

Its a classic example of what happens when the buck/doe ratio is too far out of whack! When all the bucks get shot off, then theres not enough to breed the does during the first cycle. They keep cycling until the job is done.

Traditional Deer Management at its finest.

That seems like and unscientific assumption.

Fawns could be born anywhere from April-Sept. June being the average. April and Sept being a little out of the norm. This isn't something new.

Lots of reasons why, one of them is a doe will stall gestation for a numbers of reason. So you could have a doe bred in Nov and a doe breed in Dec and both does drop fawns at the same time. Just as you could have does breed at the same time but drop fawns a month apart.

[Leaddog]

Whitetails are unique in that young of the year females can and do breed unlike elk that must be 1.5 years old. Those youngsters breed later than the older does, so small fawns in the Fall are very possible. That ability helps deer repopulate much faster than other large game. As for whether the late fawns will survive winter, guess that comes down to the severity index. The late breeding is some of what makes December so much fun as an archer!

[USPENAMC]

I thought one couldnt shoot fawns with spots still on them???

[BLACKJACK]

As long as you have a doe permit, fawns are legal - but who would want to show a spotted fawn off too your buddies?

Those fawns in that picture farther up this thread aren't newborns, they look to be 4-6 weeks at least, they've got some size to them. I've jumped newborn fawns and they look to be about the size of small dogs. Whether they survive depends upon the winter severity, whether the doe survives the hunting season, and the availability of food.