Break out the cigars...Mama Doe's Fawn made her debut at breakfast this morning !!

[Bill C1664885404]

<p>I thought the Doe looked older than a yearling and would have started having twins by now but this is the only one that came up with her. And Mama Doe was on full alert every minute…head snapping this way and that at the least little noise, nervous / protective of her Fawn’s first trip to the “Handout House”.<br>

Mother Nature does not disappoint.....Enjoy!</p>

<p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/roundball/PHOTOGRAPHY/DEER/082214A-FAWNDEBUTheaddownwithMamaDoe_061C2M_zps2e5a2e01.jpg" alt="" width="783" height="800" /></p>

<p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/roundball/PHOTOGRAPHY/DEER/082214B-FAWNDEBUTwithMamaDoe_091C3M_zps72e4d5ff.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="740" /></p>

<p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/roundball/PHOTOGRAPHY/DEER/082214C-FAWNDEBUTbyitself_021C2M_zps41a74877.jpg" alt="" width="690" height="800" /></p>

[Alex_Es]

<p>Nice shots. So where is the father?</p>

[Bill C1664885404]

They don't mate like a pair of Geese do...a buck will service multiple Does during the rut then they tend to stay by

themselves or in small 'bachelor groups'

[Bill C1664885404]

<p>Just some additional information...this Doe has become somewhat of a family pet...I noticed the deformity of her left front leg early on, I assume hit by a car at a younger age or stepped in a hole while running, etc...either way she walks / runs pretty awkwardly because a lot of it seems to have healed stiff.<br /> Then around the first week of July I realized she'd just given birth to a Fawn(s) so I started putting out some supplemental food for her to pick up a couple times a day...small coffee can of shelled corn in the AM & PM, and whatever apple / peach peelings, older bread we might have on hand, etc.<br />Now having her bring the fawn up close like this is very rewarding...hopefully they'll stick around a few more weeks.</p>

[ravi_bindra1]

<p>I am not a purist who thinks you must never assist wild animals, but I do wonder if the high sugar content of corn and fruit peel would rot their teeth? I know these are natural foods but dont know if "in the olden days" these would feature often in the diet of deer? </p>

[Bill C1664885404]

<p>Well, I grew up on a farm where we routinely fed it to cattle, and deer would feed right along side the cattle. Plus having been involved with wildlife, wildlife management, hunting, etc, for decades I've never heard of anything like that.<br />Deer have been living around apple orchards and corn fields since man has had them, making them their main diet for a few months each year for centuries...indeed, when a corn field gets some height, it's not uncommon for deer to routinely take up residence inside the corn field for several weeks and gorge on it every day.<br />The average life span of a whitetail is reportedly only 2-3 years as it is...so I'm confident a couple handfuls of corn and peels from a few apples while she's recovering from a long gestation period, then giving birth to twin fawns, and then making milk for them every day is a benefit for her.</p>