out of season rut or casual sex?

[hotburn]

My cousin lives by a urban wooded area here in NW Ohio. He said last night he seen a buck messing with a doe, and then to his surprise the buck mounted the doe. He said it lasted for a while and didn't just seem like play or a dominance act. Question is, have you ever heard of deer breeding in the middle of winter? We are having a weird mild winter, usually teens and single digits this time of year. The past few weeks have been so warm the tulips are sticking out of the ground. So do deer do this? Or can they fool around out of season too?

Thanks Jason

Also, hello to Dan, Don and Smoke. Miss our old chats.

[vixenmaster]

Reckon Doe was hot & hadn't took on previous cycles, so Buck bred her

[Ont_Excal]

That would likely be last years fawn that just came into heat.
It could also be an old mature doe that aborted or didn't take during prior breeding.
A buck will keep his head gear and keep breeding until the last doe is successfully bred.

[wabi]

I'd guess a doe that hasn't been impregnated in the earlier estrus cycle, or a late born fawn coming in for the first time.

One thing I'm not sure of is if the late born ones continue to have a late estrus year after year?

[onebigskittle]

Hormone imbalance could be another factor

[agingcrossbower]

Many does are bred very late. I've seen them going at it in March. I think they might be non-conformists. On a more serious note, few of the offspring survive from these late get togethers, at least up north where I live.
Hank

NON-Conformist??? You mean a spinster.

[Ont_Excal]

I'd guess a doe that hasn't been impregnated in the earlier estrus cycle, or a late born fawn coming in for the first time.

One thing I'm not sure of is if the late born ones continue to have a late estrus year after year?

All breeding in the animal kingdom is driven by photo period once the animal is mature. The first cycle might be out of sync but that is because the young age of the doe.

I notice squirrels start their breeding around January 27th, give or take a day. This has been consistent the last 4 years I have observed the cycle. Their gestation period is about 45 days.

Any doe bred now will either abort or will give birth in september and not make october. A mature doe has a gestation period of about 208 days. Not usually longer but may be shorter by up to 2 weeks.

With the mild winter we have now, we will likely see fawns dropping earlier this spring. In previous years when we had such weather, we also had an increase in the deer herd. It was noticeable.

Looking forward to a great spring turkey season as well.
The birds should be real plump this year!

[Boo]

Hey! Howdy!
In regards to the deer and their actions, I like to think casual sex!

[Ont_Excal]

Hey! Howdy!
In regards to the deer and their actions, I like to think casual sex!

OH CRAP
It's hard enough to pattern these critters without a summer fornication season!!

[GaryM]

That happens also when the buck to doe ratio is way out of whack. Not enough bucks to breed all the does when they go in heat the first time. It's common around here. We see fawns with spots just before the beginning of bow season Oct. 1 all the time. Gary

[Raymond]

That guy is getting a little action on the side, . I have no answer my brain is so tired but I enjoy reading about it.
Thanks,
Raymond

[hotburn]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I enjoyed reading your post as much as i enjoyed making the title. one excal's post about the photo period had me thinking so i pulled out the charts and right now the sunlight time is within about fifteen minutes of November rut times. So maybe the late fawn coming into cycle and the photo period times being similar can trigger this? But the thought of a buck just getting lucky would be a good thing to! Thanks guys, keep up the good work in here. This is still the best place to chat Cb's imo.

Jason