Deer hunters may go hunting in the wild forest, but they must be careful to avoid hunting a pregnant doe, which is a female deer.The sport of deer hunting for meat dates back several thousand years; unfortunately, several instances of hunting pregnant deer have been recorded. It’s a sad thing for a life to end before it started.The word ‘pregnant’ is derived from Latin terms ‘pre’ and ’natus’ meaning ‘before’ and ‘birth’, respectively. Also known as gestation, it is the period wherein one or more offspring grow and develop inside the mother’s uterus. It is the result of natural breeding between a male and female deer. A male deer is called a buck, whereas, a female deer is referred to as a doe. Are you wondering how you can tell if a deer is pregnant? Hunt through these fun and interesting deer-lightful birthing facts to determine if you have a pregnant doe!Deer reproduction is natural. The breeding season, or rut, is followed by the deer gestation period. That means a deer gets pregnant after there is internal fertilization. While the rut, the breeding season, differs between species of deer, it usually ranges from late August to December. Also, the mating season, or rut, depends on the location of the deer. For instance, in South America, native species of deer don’t mate until late January or early February. The gestation periods range from 180-200 days, whereas, the average gestation period for a white-tail deer lasts about 201 days. Thus, the length of deer gestation period depends on the type of deer species.A pregnant doe usually gives birth around May or June, and usually births a single, twin, and even triplet fawns on rare occasions. After the fawn is born, the mother doe licks it clean to ensure it is free of scents that could attract possible predators. The fawn will take its first steps within the first 25 minutes of its life. Young fawns do not usually lead solitary lives, but a mother does will stay back to graze before joining her offspring. Additionally, the fawn will stay hidden in the grass until it learns to walk; then, it will reach out to its mother. After that, the fawn and the mother doe live together for a year. While a young buck often leaves its mother and never sees her again, a young doe will leave and return after giving birth to her own fawns. They can be found living in herds.Types Of Deer And Their Pregnancy LengthsDeer are classified into 43 different species, including caribou or reindeer, mule deer, black-tailed deer, roe deer, white-tailed deer, fallow deer, red deer, moose or elk, huemul deer, sika deer, hog deer, Indian sambar deer, and axis deer or chital. The gestation period is referred to as the time period during which a fetus develops inside a mother’s womb. It begins with fertilization and stretches until fawning. Fawning is the natural process by which deer give birth. While a doe is a female deer, a male deer is called a buck. Like a woman carries a baby in her womb, similarly, a doe carries the fetus during its pregnancy. As various deer species differ, their gestation periods vary in length, too. It can be difficult to discuss the reproduction and gestation periods of 43 different species in a single article, so the average deer gestation period is around seven and a half months.For instance, the gestation period of a white-tail deer ranges from 200-205 days, about six and a half months. Although the breeding season (or rut) for a mule deer commences with the autumn season, the gestation period of the mule deer ranges from 190-200 days. Thus, the mule deer and white-tail deer have similar gestation periods. Similarly, the mating season or rut of white-tail deer commences in early November, while they give birth during late May or early June. Likewise, European fallow deer give birth to one fawn or twin fawns after a long deer gestation period of about 230 days, whereas the breeding season or rut lasts for 130-135 days. Roe deer are yet another subspecies of deer that have an average gestation period that lasts for 290 days, whereas the European roe deer give birth after a long 10 months pregnancy period. Similar to several other species, a red deer carries fawn or fawns for 240-262 days. Besides differences in the subspecies, the gestation period of deer also varies on several other factors such as season and age.How to tell if a deer is pregnant?A doe doesn’t grow a baby bump on the first day of its gestation period. Humans do not take as long as deer to show a baby bump, as does often show their baby bumps quite late in the process. While a woman who is three months pregnant may not show a baby bump as large as a woman who is five months pregnant, both their babies can be considered healthy!Likewise, a doe may show other signs of being pregnant that are not related to a baby bump. It may not show up with a baby bump, but it doesn’t mean that the fawn or fetus needs medical attention.It cannot be readily determined if a deer is pregnant or not until it enters its third trimester. A doe undergoes several biological changes before it conceives. By the end of the third month, a small blot appears on the inner side of its abdomen, and gains considerable weight until it approaches the fawning stage. Thus, it is quite challenging to know if a deer, especially a wild deer, is carrying a fawn until it shows a prominent baby bump. If you doubt a deer is pregnant, speak to a veterinarian to determine pregnancy for certain.Do deer lie down giving birth?When a woman experiences labor pain, she may be asked to lie down before being taken into the delivery room. Unlike humans, wild deer are not assisted by doctors during fawning. Thus, a doe searches for a quiet place with tall grass to hide behind before giving birth to her fawns. Then it lies on its side to give birth to its offspring. Often, a deer gives birth to either one or two fawns, and in rare cases, three or four fawns are delivered.Once the fawns are born, the mother cleans them to ensure they are scent-free so that they do not fall prey to potential predators. When her fawns grow strong enough, the mother leaves them safe in a quiet place to graze. Unlike humans, deer do not often groom their fawns; rather, they leave them to help them become independent. After a year or so, these fawns will return to their mother; while young bucks leave their mother, young do usually return with their fawns to form herds.How many babies can a deer have at one time?Unlike humans, deer do not give birth to more than four or five babies at a time.A deer conceiving for the first time often gives birth to one fawn, although two fawns are common as well. After the first conception, the doe becomes fit enough to deliver three or four fawns in the succeeding years. The birth of triplets or more fawns is quite uncommon.
Deer hunters may go hunting in the wild forest, but they must be careful to avoid hunting a pregnant doe, which is a female deer.
