Deer Breeding

Deer have a mating season which is moderately long and goes through October to January. This particular period is known as the rut. The males do not relate with the females for the remainder of the year. They will however travel a long way during that period so as to find them. Many risks will be taken by them which include staying in the open where they can be spotted by hunters.

There are going to be some important changes offered by the male in this period. Their neck sizes would grow larger than normal and they will also shed all the velvet on their antlers. The antlers are the main part of the rituals for mating of the male. The males fight using their antlers so as to be able to mate.

None of the males get injured during the battle. When one of them walks away, the fight ends. Depending on the size, skill and determination, the fight could last for a few minutes or for a few days. Sometimes, the antlers of both males become stuck with each other and they end up being found dead in the wild.

Once the strength of the dominant male has been showed, he enjoys his glory by mating with the females. He will mate often with as much of the females as possible. There will be young ones born within 180 to 240 days later if conception is successful. Majority of the species of dear give birth to two or three at the same time while others give birth to one.

The fawns are able to work around within hours of being born although they are initially slow and shaky. They recognize their mother quickly and stay close to her for protection by instinct. The little dear will be properly hidden in dens or hushes. They are left alone for a large part of the day. To be able to create the milk required for feeding their young, the mothers would need to be able to go feed themselves.

The mothers always come back to check on their young frequently so as to feed them. The young dears will remain with their mother till they are two years old. Although the fawns may get eaten by predators sometimes, they are usually safe majority of the time. The scent of the mothers can be the trail used by predators to track the young ones because the young ones have to scent.

Although it still carried out, hunting fawns is illegal. Individuals who are caught hunting are prosecuted. It’s usually difficult to find those involved in hunting.

The efforts for reproduction carried out by the deer are very good, so good that with one or two males alongside a bunch of females, by the end of five years, their population would have grown to 30. This is without considering predators or hunters.

Any species of deer have the chance to live for up to 15 years, depending on their sources of food or where they live. Some dears are situated in locations where heavy hunting is carried out. There are beautiful bucks that have been able to survive and roam in those areas freely regardless.