Big surprise this morning, 11 March 2023

[TNlandowner]

As I enjoyed a cup of coffee this morning, I watched five doe feed out my front window. I walked to the back of the house to look at our pond. A young buck (1.5 year old with only a 2 pt antler still attached) came over the dam chasing a doe. Both deer had dark tarsal glands. The buck was trying his best to mount the doe. A few seconds later, a young six point buck and spike cover over the dam to join the chase.

I know the 36 degree weather makes bucks "frisky," but I am surprised this doe wasn't bred in November - December.

 

[Hawk103161]

Had three bucks beside the house yesterday. All in different phases of Shed. 1 had shed completely, 1 had 1 forked horn let and the 3rd had both(4 point). Haven't had a deer picture in a while. Last night got 8 pictures....Interesting....

 

[BSK]

I have no idea if the doe you witness fits this category, but a certain (small) percentage of does are barren. They will go through estrus, be bred, but never conceive. These barren does will cycle back through estrus over and over, perhaps as many as 5 or 6 times. I've seen an estrus doe being chased by multiple bucks Easter weekend.

 

[Hawk103161]

I have no idea if the doe you witness fits this category, but a certain (small) percentage of does are barren. They will go through estrus, be bred, but never conceive. These barren does will cycle back through estrus over and over, perhaps as many as 5 or 6 times. I've seen an estrus doe being chased by multiple bucks Easter weekend.

Those are the one's that have spotted fawns in November...Right???

 

[DeerCamp]

I have no idea if the doe you witness fits this category, but a certain (small) percentage of does are barren. They will go through estrus, be bred, but never conceive. These barren does will cycle back through estrus over and over, perhaps as many as 5 or 6 times. I've seen an estrus doe being chased by multiple bucks Easter weekend.

Few years back I had a fawn on camera with spots.... in the middle of January.

TWRA estimated its age at 2 weeks, which put its conception in the middle of the summer.

Go figure.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Last year's fawn in her first cycle.

 

[UCStandSitter]

I have no idea if the doe you witness fits this category, but a certain (small) percentage of does are barren. They will go through estrus, be bred, but never conceive. These barren does will cycle back through estrus over and over, perhaps as many as 5 or 6 times. I've seen an estrus doe being chased by multiple bucks Easter weekend.

Huh. Just like the does in short skirts on 2nd Ave. I've seen how that game works…

 

[TNlandowner]

I have no idea if the doe you witness fits this category, but a certain (small) percentage of does are barren. They will go through estrus, be bred, but never conceive. These barren does will cycle back through estrus over and over, perhaps as many as 5 or 6 times. I've seen an estrus doe being chased by multiple bucks Easter weekend.

this makes sense. This doe did not seem to like the attention...

 

[redblood]

I have no idea if the doe you witness fits this category, but a certain (small) percentage of does are barren. They will go through estrus, be bred, but never conceive. These barren does will cycle back through estrus over and over, perhaps as many as 5 or 6 times. I've seen an estrus doe being chased by multiple bucks Easter weekend.

That would be my bet. Happens in all mammals when their progesterone dont rise high enough to trigger ovulation. It happens …..she will still eat fine next fall

 

[Bucket]

she will still eat fine next fall

Might be a little skinny if she's being chased one week a month!

 

[rifle02]

About a month ago I bought a new trail camera just cuz I felt like it. Budget priced. A manufacturer I had no experience with stealth cam. Left it pointing down a road on my property for 10 days or so. The first time I pulled the card I was shocked I had four hard antlered bucks running. It may have been three hard antlered bucks chasing a doe. I'm not sure because the picture quality was disappointing. Very grainy. Anyway that picture was taken only 10 days ago. I was shocked. The coolest part was that as the Box crossed the road two of them were actually in mid-air. I would have saved the pic but like I said it was very grainy.

 

[Ski]

Those are the one's that have spotted fawns in November...Right???

It certainly happens.

 

[backyardtndeer]

It certainly happens.

View attachment 171041

And that continues the process, as those late born doe fawns may come into estrous for the first time in their life in late January or February or possibly even into March.

 

[Ski]

And that continues the process, as those late born doe fawns may come into estrous for the first time in their life in late January or February or possibly even into March.

One would assume so, yes. What I'm unsure of is the consecutive year(s). Do they eventually fall into normal estrus timing or are they stuck in a spring cycle forever?

 

[backyardtndeer]

One would assume so, yes. What I'm unsure of is the consecutive year(s). Do they eventually fall into normal estrus timing or are they stuck in a spring cycle forever?

I would tend to think the young does, after that first late cycle, would get bred at normal timing next time around, but their late born fawns may be in that later cycle.

 

[Hawk103161]

Might be a little skinny if she's being chased one week a month!

I know a couple that are chased all month and they are a little chunky....Oh wait wrong "Doe's" my bad.....

 

[BSK]

Those are the one's that have spotted fawns in November...Right???

Some does, either through poor health or just genetically, only breed very late. I've seen an individual doe (easily identifiable) that every year was still pregnant in mid-August. No one really understands this phenomenon, whether the late breeding is actually encoded in their DNA or has something to do with epigenetics (physical changes in gene expression that can hereditary, but not caused by an actual change on DNA). Some researchers have reported that female fawns born late may have that late breeding timing permanently attached to them epigenetically. Others report no such observations. Again, a real mystery.

 

[BSK]

Last year's fawn in her first cycle.

This is also possible. Female deer much reach a specific body size/weight before they are able to reproduce. If they reach that weight in mid-February as a fawn, they can enter estrus then.

 

[BSK]

Obviously, there can be many causes of very late breeding: from females fawns entering estrus late because they have finally achieved the necessary body weight, to individual females who have very late estrus timing encoded in their DNA, to the possibility of epigenetic changes, and to barren does repeatedly cycling.

 

[BSK]

One would assume so, yes. What I'm unsure of is the consecutive year(s). Do they eventually fall into normal estrus timing or are they stuck in a spring cycle forever?

Some - and let me emphasize some - research suggests that this late timing can be epigenetically affixed to their DNA, producing late breeding their entire life.