Mule deer Doe's Reproduction ???

[Bugle M In]

well, just returned back from Region 3 Mule Deer hunt....no success :cry:
But, Our hunting party spotted plenty of Doe's and with great news to report, that many of them ( almost all ) had yearlings with them!
Many had twins, and even 1 doe I saw had triplets.:)
I was wondering what the impact of predators ( wolves mainly, as they have moved into the area quite strongly in the past few years ) had been so far.
So far, so good....but winter is coming, that could change, but lets hope the yearling #'s stay high through till spring etc.
That was the good news, but bucks were hard to find!?!? ( only 1 2pt )

Question
I always assumed that Doe's produce each year ( after their first year, but mostly after their 2nd year and from then on )
Question is, If a doe at this time ( November ), has this past Spring ( 2014 ) Fawns with her,
will she still go into Estrus Cycle so as to reproduce fawns this coming Spring ( 2015 )????
Or Do these Doe's with fawns skip the Cycle this year, and not start the cycle again till Fall ( 2015 ) ???

I know...I looked it up, but didn't find anything on this exact question on any Mule deer studies that I could find on the web.
When I asked the group of guys I hunt with, we all kinda scratched our heads:confused:, and weren't quite sure what the real answer was,
We all just assumed these Doe's with yearlings will be in heat shortly....
If not...man!, are we in the wrong spot!:mrgreen:
( Can't believe after all these years out there, that I am actually asking this question:redface: )

[Sylus]

"Female deer are short day breeders, so they generally come into estrus in the fall, from October to December (Dewey). This is triggered mainly by a decrease in photoperiod. A hormone called melatonin is produced by the pineal gland in response to the onset of darkness. When it reaches a certain level in the blood plasma it induces estrus"

It seems as though it is triggered by something that couldn't be affected by the presence of a fawn

full webpage here http://www.ansci.wisc.edu/jjp1/ansci_repro/misc/websites09/thur/Deer%20Seasonality/Deer%20Seasonality.html appears to be a suitably reputable source.

[Bugle M In]

yup, found that site as well.
I know a doe who loses a fawn say from this past Spring til now will go into Estrus again.
I have always assumed a doe regardless of if she has a 5 - 6 month fawn with her or not, will have an estrus cycle, and can be breed to give birth again the
next spring if bred by a buck.
Just not sure if that was the case, or if she will not go into cycle til the fawn is gone say at 12 to 16 months.??
I was planning to go back up, but I don't want to be hanging around a bunch of Does if they wont cycle because they all had fawns.
I know it is most likely a stupid question, but was hoping for a definitive answer, as ?I couldn't find a sentence that supported that question online.
Basically the question is...does the "same" Doe give birth to a new fawn ( I know, single or twins and sometimes triplets ) each year...year after year? ( if bred, obviously )
I hope that is the case, as I have always assumed it, given that out of the 20 - 30 Does we saw, all but 1 was single ( without fawn )
And all the others had fawn from this past Spring ( only half the size of the Doe ).
Sometimes I have seen Does that appear to have offspring beside them, but the offspring seem almost o be at full maturity size, so these Deer will be/could be bred at that time.
Never seen so many little guys like this before...great to see!, but thus the question...should I still hang around these Does?
Usually, I see half the Does with offspring, and the other half seem to be mature single or grouped Does which are mature, so I always felt certain a Buck would soon be around.
Just not sure about this scenario...Does all over, but all with Spring Fawns??

[Bugle M In]

ok...found my answer

After a gestation period of six to seven months,
fawns are born from late-May through June. At this
time, the does drive away their offspring of the previous
year and seek a secluded place to give birth"

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=9&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CFAQFjAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.env.gov.bc.ca%2Fwld%2Fdocumen ts%2Fmuledeer.pdf&ei=SFBkVKC1HNHToATdmoGgAg&usg=AFQjCNGliF7oC75PxBapmejH8uWN_643Yw&sig2=XdsGFzQzczpoiKeNTR8FRw

[Sylus]

Good to know. It would seem really inefficient if the does skipped a year.

[M.Dean]

Been seeing lots of Does with 2 fawns this year also, and very few Bucks. I've had years when I passed up 20 or 30 Bucks well out hunting, but not this year! I haven't been out as much because of health reasons, but just talking to other hunters, they too have seen a decline in Mule Deer, and White Tail Deer Bucks this year? I did see about 25 to 30 grouse in one spot a few weeks ago, in all my years of hunting I've never see more than 5 or 6 grouse together, and my camera was safely in the rear Quad box, out of the rain! But, there's still a month left to this season, and the only way to bag a big Buck is to be out there looking for them! Good luck to all that still have a tag left!

[brian]

To further answer your question, does will come into estrus unless they are still nursing. Milk production inhibits the estrus cycle. Fortunately most does have cut their fawns off by late summer so by the time the rut hits they are able to reproduce again. At which point fawns and does are separated and nature takes its course (Que the Barry White). By this time the fawns are capable of living on their own and do not need their mommas guidance anymore, which leaves the doe free to give birth to next years fawns.

[hunter1947]

If the does had fawns my thoughts are that the big bucks are there somewhere my guess is that the bucks are up in the hi elevation and will be visiting the does real soon
Don't forget the mule deer rut is just starting to fire up :wink:..

[boxhitch]

Usually, I see half the Does with offspring vs.
this scenario...Does all over, but all with Spring FawnsSounds like this spring was easy on the fawns. Preds can't be too bad

[Bugle M In]

vs. Sounds like this spring was easy on the fawns. Preds can't be too bad

No, Preds weren't as bad as I thought it would be from all the sign ( cats & dogs ) from the past 4-5 years starting to accumulate in the area.
But, then again, winter hasn't really kicked in yet, yes cold, but the plateau has 0 snow on it,.....it should as in the past have 2 - 3 feet up there.
Preds still may come in, as the snow drops up top, letting them to all gather in as deer get pushed into tighter pockets.