Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Deer Hunting => Topic started by: DoubleJ on November 04, 2012, 08:16:53 AM

Title: Here's a stupid question I thought I had the answer to but now I don't know
Post by: DoubleJ on November 04, 2012, 08:16:53 AM: How often do does come into estrus? Is it yearly or every other year? We see the does around my house with fawns in tow all summer when they have them, all fall, all winter, and then all next spring and summer before the fawns move on. Or so it seemed. We saw this morning, a 2x2 with his nose WAY up a does rear and trying to mount her while her fawns were 20 ft. away. Was this buck just confused or am I?
Title: Re: Here's a stupid question I thought I had the answer to but now I don't know
Post by: bobcat on November 04, 2012, 08:22:45 AM: Every year.
Title: Re: Here's a stupid question I thought I had the answer to but now I don't know
Post by: whacker1 on November 04, 2012, 08:30:09 AM: Quote from: bobcat on November 04, 2012, 08:22:45 AM
Every year.

sometime 2-4 times per year over 6-8 week period of time depending on weather they were bred the first time or not
Title: Re: Here's a stupid question I thought I had the answer to but now I don't know
Post by: lokidog on November 04, 2012, 09:31:09 AM: As stated usually every year until they get old. The fawns will often hang with mom until the new babies are born and doe fawns will often hang around them even longer.

Most deer herds have a selective pressure (predators eating the new borns) to come into estrus within a short time period. If they come in early or late and are bred by a buck, their fawn will not have the advantage of being one in a large crowd of delectable dinner delights and has a higher likelihood of being picked off thus ending the genetic trait to come into estrus early or late.

Here on the island, with no large predators, we see fawns dropping over a 2 month long period (mid May to mid July) as the only selective pressures are the fawn not being large enough to survive through the colder winter with less food availablity and being born too early for the weather.
Title: Re: Here's a stupid question I thought I had the answer to but now I don't know
Post by: nwwanderer on November 04, 2012, 06:26:56 PM: They can cycle any month of the year, but mostly now for a spring birth. They cycle about once a month until bred. Most whitetail fawns will cycle this fall but often late for late (July and after) fawns. Fewer mule and blacktail cycle as fawns. Whitetail have the most multiple births, triplets are common and quads not unusual.
Title: Re: Here's a stupid question I thought I had the answer to but now I don't know
Post by: JLS on November 04, 2012, 06:47:39 PM: http://www.ansci.wisc.edu/jjp1/ansci_repro/misc/websites09/thur/Deer%20Seasonality/Deer%20Seasonality.html (http://www.ansci.wisc.edu/jjp1/ansci_repro/misc/websites09/thur/Deer%20Seasonality/Deer%20Seasonality.html)

Here you go, everything you wanted to know about estrous cycles in deer.
Title: Re: Here's a stupid question I thought I had the answer to but now I don't know
Post by: DoubleJ on November 05, 2012, 06:54:00 AM: Thank you guys. I knew what the estrus cycle was. I was wondering if it was yearly or every other year. Got my answer a few posts ago.