Fawn and cub survival?

Pete04

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I've been watching a doe and two fawns on my trail cams all summer.
I'm in 76A in Ont.
If Mom gets shot this fall, will the kids make it through the winter on their own?
I've told the others in our group to be careful not to shoot her but maybe I'm wrong?
Thanks for any advice here.
 
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Check the meaning of the terms that you use? A "yearling" has been alive for at least a year - in case of a deer, has got through its first winter. Those fawns that you see with the doe are probably this past spring's birth - so not yet yearlings, not yet got through a winter. Her last spring's fawns, which she would have "booted out" when this year's fawns came along, would now be "yearlings", if they are still alive.

I do not know if does will "adopt" another fawn over winter? We see here in Western Manitoba / Eastern Saskatchewan about March that the deer seem to congregate in much larger herds than the rest of the year - probably have used up last summer's fat, into very hard times until some Spring new growth. A couple bad blizzards about then will really knock down the numbers. A period of melting that softens the snow cover, then freezes, allows coyotes to move very easy on that frozen crust, where as sharp hooved animals like deer break through and bog down. If that doe has two fawns, she has been eating fine for a period of time - that is a good sign that feed is available that she likes. I think fawn survival includes some amount about adult leadership, but also food supply, weather, predators and so on. Big herds make spread of disease pretty easy - I know Western Sask had very large effort to control CWD (Wasting Desease) that did not really control it - pretty much let that prion spread out across the west.
 
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I've been watching a doe and two fawns on my trail cams all summer.
I'm in 76A in Ont.
If Mom gets shot this fall, will the kids make it through the winter on their own?
I've told the others in our group to be careful not to shoot her but maybe I'm wrong?
Thanks for any advice here.


Depends on their size, health and amount of local predation, food and adequate habitat. 76A is full of coyotes/roads but also lots of farms and backyards. The probability certainly drops if mom gets killed but other factors play a big role as well.

Patrick
 
Thanks for the information guys.
They're both first year fawns. They are much bigger now than when I first saw them in late June. I'm pretty sure they haven't seen a winter yet.
I'll stay with my original rule and make extra sure no shots on doe unless there is no question that she's alone.
 
Here in the deep south I have no concerns about shooting a doe with this years fawns, in late fall. In the winter I regularly see a single adult doe leading small herds of the past years young. They seem to make it just fine. In your WMU with the snow you get the adults are more important for survival IMO.
 
I took a doe with twins last year. The fawns made it through the winter fine. I've been seeing them all summer, a yearling doe and buck. Was a relatively mild winter in our area.
 
Yes, you are wrong.

The odd doe is bred very late in the season which results in their fawns being born late, but these late bloomers will likely die during winter anyways as they won't have the mass or fat reserves to survive typical winters.

Deer hunting season starts at a time which the majority of fawns are able to survive on their own. Managers don't choose random dates when they're setting seasons.
 
I was telling an old fella once how I had passed up a doe that morning while ML hunting because she had a fawn with her. He said he would have shot the fawn and let the doe go as there was a good chance the fawn might not make it through the winter. That was just how he saw things.
 
I dont shoot does that have twins because I've heard there is a good chance she will have twins again. A doe like that gets a pass from me and I don't like telling others what they can and can't fill their tag with(as long as legal)
 
Sounds like White tail does can actually have many fawns, although "normal" is two - depending on age of doe and the feed she is getting. Good report here, but seems to be based all on Illinois(??) - study of 3,884 pregnant white tail does... just fix this link... ht tps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0093691X1730078X
 
I dont shoot does that have twins because I've heard there is a good chance she will have twins again. A doe like that gets a pass from me and I don't like telling others what they can and can't fill their tag with(as long as legal)

A doe having twins is normal and is a sign of a healthy herd. Most does will have two fawns. During tough times they'll often have only a single fawn where as during great times (minimal stress, plenty of good food and water) they can have 3 and rarely 4 fawns.
 
I will shoot the fawn before I shoot the doe if I really needed meat.If a doe has brought a fawn to gun season she’s a seasoned mother that will likely bring more along next year. Nothing with spots of course, but that’s how I roll in those situations.
 
Along the same lines...
One of the best bears I'm seeing, on my property, is a mother with two cubs. What's their chances of surviving their first winter without her?

I really am happy to get your opinions as my experience, in these matters, is very limited.
 
Along the same lines...
One of the best bears I'm seeing, on my property, is a mother with two cubs. What's their chances of surviving their first winter without her?

I really am happy to get your opinions as my experience, in these matters, is very limited.

Mother Nature is cruel, besides surviving hibernation, there are other factors at play as well. Bears don't do well. That's why sows with cubs are usually protected.

Grizz
 
Along the same lines...
One of the best bears I'm seeing, on my property, is a mother with two cubs. What's their chances of surviving their first winter without her?

I really am happy to get your opinions as my experience, in these matters, is very limited.

Its hard to say for sure, but one thing is for sure, their survival rate with their mother will be signigicantly better than without her.
 
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