While scouting/glassing this year I have continously seen the same three deer feeding together. They are an adult doe, spike bu

[iowacountyhunter]

While scouting/glassing this year I have continously seen the same three deer feeding together. They are an adult doe, spike buck, and a young doe. The adult doe never has had fawns with her. I am wondering if possibly she was never breed last year and still has last years fawns with her?

[the decoy hunter]

This is probably the case as does will eventually ditch the previous year's offspring to continue the cycle of raising their newborn.The young deer (spike buck and doe) are usually the "most challenged deer in the woods" simply because they have just been kicked out of the family unit and depend upon their own instincts for survival with no maternal help.One of three possibilities with the maternal doe would explain the current situation---reproductive issues that prevent the doe from becoming bred-----loss of the unborn during term---or perhaps the fawn(s) were born dead or perished early in life and the doe has reunited with the previous offspring.

[the decoy hunter]

This is probably the case as does will eventually ditch the previous year's offspring to continue the cycle of raising their newborn.The young deer (spike buck and doe) are usually the "most challenged deer in the woods" simply because they have just been kicked out of the family unit and depend upon their own instincts for survival with no maternal help.One of three possibilities with the maternal doe would explain the current situation---reproductive issues that prevent the doe from becoming bred-----loss of the unborn during term---or perhaps the fawn(s) were born dead or perished early in life and the doe has reunited with the previous offspring.

[6phunter]

maybe she has fawns that she has sheltered until she returns .If u believe she's barren take her out of the herd..

[Aaron1991]

it is verry possible that she is barren if so as stated above put her in the freezer, being this late she could have also kicked off (weened) the fawn and be trying to fatten back up...

[madmax]

I'd agree that she's probably with last year's fawns, but the cause of this year's missing fawns is not as likely her infertility as it is a coyote or three picking off an easy meal this spring shortly after they dropped - unless you had a hard winter, in which case she may have aborted the fawns spontaneously. In any case, you can certainly thin the herd without having to feel guilty about orphaning a young fawn if you continue to see her without into bow/gun season when this year's fawns would become more mobile and will stay by her side instead of hiding in the thick stuff.

[Matt]

It is very possible that last years fawns will still hang around her. Usually they leave when the mom kicks them out to make room for the new fawns.