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Seeing any fawns yet. This picture was from my Aunt in the Hayward area, it was taken on May 6th. Seems early.
It does seem early. If they were a week old on the 6th that means they were conceived on about October 12th based on a 200 day gestation period.
Who knows what's going on with these back to back to back mild springs we've had...
I saw some goose fawns last Friday and I thought it was early for them too.
I haven't seen any fawns yet, but the other day I captured a doe on video with the fawn kicking the daylights out of her insides, bet she can't wait :)
Goose Fawns? You need to quit smokin that stuff Mike!
Bunches of goslings here in Portage and Wood county. Started seeing them last week. Fawns should start popping up any day now.
Pretty sure they pop down :D
They have some really tall grass in Hayward this time of year.
You are correct Inmyelement...I ask her about it, now she's mad at me because I called her out on it. lol Maybe Jeff or Paul can verify they live in Hayward.
At a local lagoon there's a clutch of maybe 2 week olds and another that was just a few days old this past weekend.
MF, I am with Inmyelement on this one. I don't know of any grass around here at this time with seed heads that is as tall as the grass across the road from the fawns. Also, there is nothing for size comparison but the fawns look as they are older like mid summer age.
But then, global warming ;-)
You guys are right...I am sure it is a older picture. I was excited to post it. Blame my Aunt lol. You might even know her Smokey
I mowed by my apple trees near Hayward yesterday but it was not near that long. But nice try on your Aunt's part.
Ya I am kind of embarrassed about this one. I noticed something was wrong when I questioned her about when the photo was taken because it seemed early for fawns to be born, but I didn't notice the grass so long.
Your aunt sounds like an awesome person to hang with at family dinners.
keep the compliments coming!
Not early. When I use to trout fish every opening weekend, we always saw a fawn or 3.
Make sure you don't handle the fawns - the Mother will smell the human scent and abandoned the fawn!!
And also - wait one half hour after eating so you don't get cramps and drown while swimming!
And - any burns in the home - place butter over the effected area!
Brought to you by the folks at "The Cornucopia of Clichés'"
Just spent 15 minutes watching my local doe trying to run off last years crop. Watched them all fall and winter together.
Just took this pic a minute ago out turkey hunting. It's a cell phone pic through binoculars. Central wi
DNR Research Scientist, Dan Storm, "...from May 20 - June 3 when 90 of fawns should drop,..." Talking about needing volunteers for the deer study in SW Wisconsin. (Wisconsin Outdoor News)
Using the above dates, let's do some simple calculations, gestation period for WT Deer - average 200 - 205 days, can be 190 - 210 days. A good point to start is 201, so using that number we find out that the majority of does are breed here in Wisconsin between October 31 - November 14th. If we go with 190 days, peak breeding would be Nov. 11 - Nov. 25, go with 210 days we get Oct. 22 - Nov. 5th. Leap year changes the dates by one day. I hope my math is on. :)
My personal notes and observations show that lock down occurs after Nov. 15. I find it tougher to see deer after that date, they just don't seem to move as much. Could be multiple reasons though. BC
I know this is changing the direction of this thread, and I apologize if this offends someone. But I have already seen rut predictions for 2017,...
BC - I agree with your numbers, rationale, and conclusions. Here's why...
As you did, I too have calculated backwards and determined a date or days when most does are bred. And it is dam well pretty much the same every year!
Every year we hear and read about some bowhunting hero or whitetail expert announcing that this year the rut will be early, or that this year it will be late. And it will be because of "this" reason or "that" reason,....the sky, the moon, the stars, the tides, gravity, or some mystical concoction of intangible effects. And all of us average bowhunters should heed their advice and hunt our hardest on "these" days because that's when we'll see and get our best bucks. I have heeded their advice many times over the years and I have been disappointed many times over the years.
I have learned two solid rules to follow when deciding when to hunt the rut. The best time for me to hunt the rut was when my work and family obligations did not override my bowhunting passion, when I could get time off. Then secondly, I always counted backwards from the peak fawn drop days (always pretty much the same every year) to know when peak breeding happened last year. Then I tried to hunt this year the few days prior to calculated peak breeding when the bucks are randy and every doe has a headache,... that's when the bucks moved the most! And it never seems to change much from year to year,...despite the calculations that sometimes show variances of up to a month!
It really is a simple formula. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure it out. But I'm thinking you need controversy or differing opinions to sell magazines and create experts.
Well, this is just one bowhunter's opinion. Whether your agree or not, good luck this fall.
Forester just told me that I ran over a fawn at work. Last time I was on that job was the tenth. Dane county
Casekiska, I agree. Most do. What people fail to recognize, is daytime activity. Deer will breed in that same time line every year. It in turn allows fawns to be born when not too cold, and not too late, so they survive the upcoming winter. That means I hunt 21 days straight. I might see 3 deer getting chased hard. I might see some tending, some grunting. I might see squat, but toward dark, I will see plenty. This is what I attribute to warm weather. If cool enough, deer may chase during the day, but they most certainly must overheat if too warm, and because of that, they do most breeding at night.
Personally I'd rather hunt late October, because (for me), a cruising buck is a much easier target. A buck running a doe? Not so much.
I saw a fawn very up close while pulling Garlic Mustard this evening. Scared the crap out of me.
You guys are way off, just look at the pic. Date and time stamp is correct. May be a hour off if I didn't compensate for daylight saving confusion time change
Went down to our land in Pierce county and got a morning turkey hunt in. Pulled the cards on 2 cams I leave out year round. The date is correct, that would put conception right around mid October. Years ago a biologist told me that some of the older does in the herd come into heat every year right around the 10th of Oct.
Bumped a bedded doe last night just off the lawn edge. She stood her ground which makes me think a fawn may have been nearby. Does seem to love having our beagle patrol the yard. We see deer beds often within 15yrds of the lawn edge.
Just had a doe and newborn fawn bed down in my overgrown field next to my house. This is in the city limits in Bloomer. I leave the field overgrown specifically for this reason and for rabbits and birds.
May 22 - Found two fawns about 50 yards apart. Both sat tight. The one in the corn stubble was tiny, half the size of the other. My guess, different moms? Or being that close maybe twins? BC
Finally saw my first of the year - about 6 am behind the house. Nursing. We had poor recruitment last year and I see a lot of loner adults so far.
The farm where I hunt I saw 4 turkey vultures in the recently cut hay field. I had a hunch what I was going to find. Sure enough, a fawn mangled up pretty bad. As one animal dies, others thrive.
pete, do you think they took the fawn down?
"pete, do you think they took the fawn down?"
I'm pretty sure the fawn was hit when the hay field was cut, it happens a lot. I think he meant the turkey buzzards were the benefactors of that.
A lot of does still carrying and no fawns on the camera over here by Goodman
We have an abnormally large hawk population near my house. They've even swooped down toward my dog before. She's about 45 lbs. it makes me wonder if they get any of the fawns around us. They are definitely a big enough bird to kill a fawn. Bloodtrail may be able to add some insight on this seeing as he's a falconer.
Thanks Duke! Sometimes I get lucky. I do really like the one in the corn. My son and I found 2 more, one on May 27, one on May 28. Yesterday while finishing up my corn and soybean plantings I jumped another one. He move along quite will. This year we found 5 fawns total, last year we found two, since hunting this piece (since 1978) we have found 1.
What does this tell you? Our deer population is growing? We have great fawning cover? We got lucky this year? I think it maybe a combination of all. BC
A friend got one while mowing hay 2 weeks ago. He said the Mother protected the carcass from a local pair of Bald Eagles for 2 days. Mother Nature is a tough one. Those are great pics BTW.
Had to drive today on I-90 & 94, then onto I-39 north up to Stevens Point,...then return,...total trip was about 225 miles,...NEVER BEFORE SAW SO MANY DEAD DEER ALONG SHOULDERS OF ROAD! MANY OF THEM WERE FAWNS!
I know we all expect to see dead deer along the road in late October and into November, but this today was absurd! Lots & lots of dead deer along roadside. What a shame!
In just a few miles on 41/45 I probably saw a 1/2 deer. Mostly does.
Tweed, you saw 1/2 a deer? Front or Back half?
Saw my first fawn of the year this weekend...unfortunately being carried by a big old fox!
Saw a doe and a fawn in a sub division in Oak Creek this was around 11 pm and just up the block was a coyote sneaking up on the fawn laid on the horn made the yote jump out of his hide he ran like hell lol
End of May, into June is the second highest time frame deer are killed on the highways. November is number one. Mostly bucks moving looking for new home ranges this time of year I believe. I would agree, seems like more than ever dead along the roads. Yes, many fawns as well. Could it be a higher deer population or that there is less money allowed to hire someone to pick them up? Any other ideas? BC
