By Scott Bestul
The first shock for Wisconsin hunter Ben Johnson was the sheer size of the doe he shot. The second shock came when he started to field dress it.
“It was really tough getting that first incision made,” Johnson says. “When I finally did, this little burst of fluid came out…and then a small hoof. I couldn’t believe it.” Before he finished, Johnson, who was hunting in Waupaca County, pulled two fawns from the doe. “They were both dead, their skin was silky white, and their hooves were white, too. There were about 50 little golf-ball sized tufts of hair on each.”
Johnson was convinced the fawns were still-born last spring and remained in the doe until he killed it on Thanksgiving Day. But when I showed the photo to the QDMA’s Kip Adams, a seasoned wildlife biologist, he was skeptical.
“I suppose there’s a small chance of that, but it’s much more likely that the doe would have expelled the fetuses if they were still-born last spring or early summer,” he said. “I’m betting that the doe was just bred extremely late. Eighty percent of fetal growth occurs during the final trimester of pregnancy, so it’s not odd that they don’t have hair yet. If he shot the doe on Thanksgiving, I’d say these fawns would have been born around Christmas.”
Adams says that backdating from then would put the doe’s conception date sometime in June, when bucks are still in velvet. When I asked Adams if he’d ever heard of breeding taking place that late for a northern whitetail, he said, simply “No. This is the first time I’ve ever seen anything like this. It’s extremely rare.”
The first shock for Wisconsin hunter Ben Johnson was the sheer size of the doe he shot. The second shock came when he started to field dress it.
“It was really tough getting that first incision made,” Johnson says. “When I finally did, this little burst of fluid came out…and then a small hoof. I couldn’t believe it.” Before he finished, Johnson, who was hunting in Waupaca County, pulled two fawns from the doe. “They were both dead, their skin was silky white, and their hooves were white, too. There were about 50 little golf-ball sized tufts of hair on each.”
Johnson was convinced the fawns were still-born last spring and remained in the doe until he killed it on Thanksgiving Day. But when I showed the photo to the QDMA’s Kip Adams, a seasoned wildlife biologist, he was skeptical.
“I suppose there’s a small chance of that, but it’s much more likely that the doe would have expelled the fetuses if they were still-born last spring or early summer,” he said. “I’m betting that the doe was just bred extremely late. Eighty percent of fetal growth occurs during the final trimester of pregnancy, so it’s not odd that they don’t have hair yet. If he shot the doe on Thanksgiving, I’d say these fawns would have been born around Christmas.”
Adams says that backdating from then would put the doe’s conception date sometime in June, when bucks are still in velvet. When I asked Adams if he’d ever heard of breeding taking place that late for a northern whitetail, he said, simply “No. This is the first time I’ve ever seen anything like this. It’s extremely rare.”
Man that is crazy! I had a guy I knew up in the northwestern most corner of Alabama right near the state line. I was hunting there one year just after the first of the year. I saw a doe come under my stand that had a massive amount of milk! I was completely surprised to see this, even more shocking was what came under my stand next. Two fawns that were not even 20lbs. The guy who owned the land there said that he has seen does coming into heat in January, February, and even some in March. He had watched bucks chasing them around and seen does in standing heat getting bred by bucks. This blew my mind! A doe getting bred in June seems out of this world! Quite interesting none the less.
-Johnny B
-Johnny B
Joined Sep 2010
572 Posts | 0+
Indiana
have a friend had two does have singles on the same day about a month ago. Neither made it 2 days. They were small to start with.
Also had a friend take a doe last week and said that she had a big milk bag.
Also had a friend take a doe last week and said that she had a big milk bag.
I always thought that a bucks semen was not fertile while they are in velvet? Is this not the case or was there still antlers on in April? Any inputfrom the pros.
I had four does have fawns in October two years ago. Thought I had them apart long enough....til all the antlers came off .
Bucks still produce semen for a short period after the antlers drop, I do not know the exact time frame. I know it is slightly dependent on the individual animal. I have heard 5 days to two weeks after the antlers fall off that there is still viable semen. Bucks stop producing new semen while they are in velvet, perhaps the old semen is still in there testes and some of that is fertile? My last reproduction class did not go that in depth. I need to take more advance classes to learn about that.
-Johnny B
-Johnny B
Joined Apr 2009
1,562 Posts | 0+
cental Pennsylvania
Very interesting. I am almost to the point where nothing would surprise me with a whitetail....They are just an incredible animal and despite everything we think we know about them, something like this comes along to remind us that we will never figure them out completely. That's why I love them, I love to raise them, love to hunt them, love to work on them in my taxidermy shop, and I especially love to eat them on my dinner plate.
Thanks Johnny B that is what i thought to just wasn't exactly sure. You guys are right though nothing is unthinkable with the whitetail deer if it can be done they will do it.
We've established for several decades that many species of deer do have viable semen throughout the year.Moreso with the asiatics, chital, rusa, sambar & hog,etc.Just this last month I've had two sambar calves from hinds I know were filled by velvet stags & have countless chital calves the same, I don't consider it unusual. I still expect 80% fawn/calf drop in the regular season if I run the boys with the girls throughout the year.
If I want to ween off & away from the dam & the mob the next season then the stags are only in for 8 weeks to get all the calves in a cluster.
Cheers Sharkey
If I want to ween off & away from the dam & the mob the next season then the stags are only in for 8 weeks to get all the calves in a cluster.
Cheers Sharkey