Yearlings Stay with Does

[FourBee]

Last Summer 2008, I watched 3 doe on my ranch after they birthed 5 fawn.   They all stayed together thru the winter raising their young.    Lately only one doe and her twins still hang around.
  
 Then at sunset tonight June 6th, 2009, she and her yearlings came up close to the house romping and playing.   One of the yearlings is a Buck with his velvet covered horns.

I thought deer were like cattle and sheep, calving and lambing yearly.  But now it has me wondering just how they procreate.   Maybe it's still early yet for her to calve...      Anyone have the answer?

[buck460XVR]

I thought deer were like cattle and sheep, calving and lambing yearly.

They are, but they are also communal and creatures of habit. Until she drives him off, he will continue to let mom show him where the best food and cover is. Happens quite a bit around here leading to statements like this in September...... "bucks are in rut already, cause yesterday, I saw a buck chasin' a doe!". Naw..........just junior followin' ma to the food pantry.

[Mohawk]

 Only thing I can add is bucks tend to leave momma sooner than does for whatever reason, probably rut related I imagine. And buck460 made a good point. I watched a young buck try to mount a doe yesterday afternoon. He is about 5 months early....I'm sure he is just learning...

[torpedoman]

 If you have a heavy doe population with few bucks, the does will keep going into heat until they are bred this may take months around here you see spotted fawns in august and sept.

[FourBee]

If you have a heavy doe population with few bucks, the does will keep going into heat until they are bred this may take months around here you see spotted fawns in august and sept.

    Don't have that problem.  Just the opposite.  I encourage my son and his buddies to keep the deer thinned out on the place, but they didn't do well last year at all.   Late after this past deer season I was trying out different ammo for my .22 rifle.  I wasn't being quiet by any means, and as I began to walk away from the embankment  from where I was shooting, ~  right there in front of me were 6 bucks with some beautiful racks.  I was dumb founded for a few seconds as they each darted across the trail over a small ridge into the timber.   Several years (10) back one of the hunting magazines featured a story of one of the largest white-tailed racks which was taken off my ranch.  I think it had 19 points total.