Southern Hunters! Latest you've seen a spotted fawn?

[dr.mooseknuckles]

Hey guys, just wondering how late into the fall you've seen a spotted fawn.

Hunted my family's place in East Alabama (Russell County) this past weekend. My uncle told me that he had a couple of spotted fawns on camera, but I got to see one in person on Saturday. Traditionally, our rut has been in the middle of January, but our season on this property goes until mid February. With a 200 day gestation period, my rough math is telling me that this fawn was created in late February to mid March, putting it being born mid to late September.

I cannot recall ever seeing a spotted fawn this late into the fall, either in person or on camera. I can only deduce 2 possible reasons, both of which may be true. Either a yearling doe went into heat later in the year and was breed, or we have too many does on our property resulting in a late breeding.

What do y'all think? How late have y'all seen spotted fawns? It appeared to be a doe fawn, and it came out into the food plot by itself feeding for an hour prior to other deer showing.

 

[JCMCUBIC]

I see them occasionally at this time of year. I hunt AL during the January rut. It's a longer, drawn out rut that rolls into Feb. I've seen bucks still carrying their rack in March.

I think the high number of does, due to the focus of buck harvest, contributes to it. Bucks being taken heavily during the rut adds that much more to it. Since AL was stocked with deer from a variety of locations, I've wondered if the overlap as the populations have expanded contributes to the drawn out rut, does being missed on first cycle, fawns still nursing delaying estrus, etc. It's common for does harvested early in the season (right now) to still be lactating.

I need to take more does at all the locations I hunt.

 

[LIWolverine]

Here in SE Texas probably October or November. Born Augustish.


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[Knightstormz]

I’ve seen them several times here in SE Bama in late November .

 

[dr.mooseknuckles]

I see them occasionally at this time of year. I hunt AL during the January rut. It's a longer, drawn out rut that rolls into Feb. I've seen bucks still carrying their rack in March.

I think the high number of does, due to the focus of buck harvest, contributes to it. Bucks being taken heavily during the rut adds that much more to it. Since AL was stocked with deer from a variety of locations, I've wondered if the overlap as the populations have expanded contributes to the drawn out rut, does being missed on first cycle, fawns still nursing delaying estrus, etc. It's common for does harvested early in the season (right now) to still be lactating.

I need to take more does at all the locations I hunt.

I think the rut timing and our property location is a big part of it too. We're right on the A-B line, with the new zone E not too far away.

The three does killed between Saturday and Sunday were all mature does, none lactating or with fawns/yearlings but body sizes of our does are down. I've killed numerous does on our place in the past 120-140 lbs. These three were 90, 97, and 102 respectively. I know for a fact we have more deer than ever and our buck:doe ratio is way out of balance. I saw 10 deer Saturday afternoon on a 1 acre food plot out of 985 total acres and only two of those deer were bucks.

Last season, 4 family members sat one afternoon during the rut and saw a total of 32 deer with only two being antlered bucks, young ones at that. They were collectively observing around 15 acres in total. In our case, we just have TOO many does and not enough members willing to shoot them. My hope is we can kill 20 does, but I doubt that will happen.

 

[TreeDux]

In NC about the latest I’ve seen spots was probably mid October.

 

[Rich M]

In FL - Buddy sent me a text on Saturday - doe was nursing spotted fawn.

 

[Swamp Fox]

Probably mid-October for me, too. Carolinas.

I have taken quite a number of does lactating into mid-November. I don't think any later than that but I could be wrong. It's not uncommon.

 

[N2TRKYS]

January

 

[Boarmaster]

I hunt in AL where the rut is in late Jan-early Feb. We saw spotted fawns early last week when I was there. Faintly spotted but spotted never the less

 

[Keysbowman]

MS Delta we've seen them in October

 

[Honyock]

I've seen a few in late November in Oklahoma.