Ask The Biologist

Somebody Should Write That Article

Somebody Should Write That Article

By Bob Humphrey

Do you feel bad or resist the urge to take a doe that has yearlings with her?

QUESTION: I took my son out for youth day, and all we saw was a doe with two fawns. I remembered someone telling me that if you shoot the doe and the fawns were too young, they would not be able to survive the harsh winter. He chose not to shoot, but now I wonder if he made the right decision. How old does a fawn need to be in order to survive on its own?

ANSWER: Wildlife managers put a fair amount of thought into when they should schedule various hunting seasons. Just as spring turkey hunts typically don’t start until after most hens have been bred, fall deer seasons occur prior to the period of greatest food scarcity, when it makes the most sense to remove a surplus of deer. But they also take into consideration that a fair number of adult does will be harvested, and they set seasons late enough so the orphan fawns can survive on their own.

The longer it stays with its mother, the more time a fawn has to learn survival skills, but it can survive as soon as it is no longer dependent on its mother for food. There is some evidence suggesting orphaned buck fawns may have better odds as they are not kicked out of their natal home range. Hey, that sounds like it might make a good Buckmasters article!

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