| In climates with cold
seasons, whitetail deer follow a well timed rutting period. The colder
the climate, the more rigidly set is the season of abundance, and
timing is critical if the animals and their young are going to get the
nourishment they need when they need it most. In tropical climates breeding is more laid back, and whitetail can even breed year round. In cold climates, however, a doe that produces late fawns is more likely to face winter with her fawns still too young, so that they cannot survive the starvation and stress of winter. At the same time she has been run down by nursing and has not had time to fatten herself up so that she can hold up to the winter. A doe that has a too-early fawn risks the chance that springtime will not be there yet when she desperately needs quality food to nourish herself and produce rich milk for her fawns. Nature strictly culls the cold weather animals that do not follow the calendar. |
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THE SPECIES HABITAT DIET DIGESTION SURVIVAL RANGE BREEDING |
COURTSHIP ANTLERS FAWNS TAME WHITETAIL MULE DEER AND BLACKTAIL THEIR FUTURE ANIMALS |