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Answer
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Harold and Joyce
asked
on
5/22/2006,
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Dear Jim, We moved into our new home in a rural wooded area a couple years ago. We always enjoy seeing the deer come to our backyard even if they occasionally take a bite out of our shrubs and flowers. We still haven't seen a fawn yet however. When should we be watching for them? |
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Jim's answer: |
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Harold and Joyce, I commend your tolerance with your visiting deer, especially since they seem to be taking a bite out of your backyard plants. Many people move to the country because they enjoy watching wildlife but often become dismayed and frustrated when deer start munching on their expensive landscape vegetation. Unfortunately eating is what deer seem to do best. In Wisconsin most fawns are born from late May to early June. A few are born are even born in late June to early July. Many of these late-comers are from does that weren't bred during the main rut or breeding season in late October and November. White-tail deer go through a second rut later in fall and even in December. This is when many of the doe fawns from the year before finally go into heat and are bred. Don't be surprised if you see a doe with twin fawns. Typically, a doe will have a single fawn its first year and after that will normally give birth to twins each year. Fawns only weigh about six to eight pounds when they are born. Its at this time of their lives that they are the most vulnerable to predators like coyotes, fox, or unleashed dogs. Luckily, nature has equipped fawns with a few tricks to keep them safe. Their fur is reddish-brown in color with white spots and lines that blend in perfectly with the brown leaves and light-speckled forest floor of spring. Fawns are also completely odorless during the first few days of their lives, another big advantage in a woods filled with predators with large sensitive noses. Fawns grow very rapidly. At one month of age they can already outrun a man and by fall they'll be able to sprint 35 miles per hour and easily jump an eight foot fences. Does will stay close to their fawns and suckle them throughout the summer season. Even when they can feed on plants like the adults, the fawn will remain with the doe throughout the fall and winter until the following spring when the new fawns are born. Good luck watching for fawns to appear in your neighborhood. They're there but just not too easy to spot at times. |
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