Angus74

Do you think an old mature doe will adopt fawns wha have lost their mothers. The reason I ask is we have a big doe that we have watched for 7 years now, shes easy to distinguish because of white stocking feet, butlast year she was alone all year in all of my game cam pics, and this year early in bow season, she was staying with another doe and two fawns. Weve taken a couple does off the farm this fall, and a coupe weeks ago I saw the white footed doe with two fawns. Did she take over raising them, are they just following her for company, or are they hers and we just never was them with her. Shes really old, the first time we saw her was in 97 and she had a single fawn with her then, so shes at least seven years old. Do you think shestoo old to breed and have fawns?

SnoBall57

I'm not really sure, but I've noticed the same scenario a few times over the years. I think they just naturally bond together in casual passing. Now when the fawn are still nursing, I know for a fact that if the mother gets killed that another lactating doe will sometimes take on foster fawns.[8D]

Stump_MN_Hunter

I have seen that a doe will adopt fawns that have lost their mother. Either due to hunting, car kills or just simply lost her out in the woods. But another thing is that, whitetails are very social creatures and will most always hang out with others except probably during the rut. The whole safety in numbers thing. At 7 1/2, I can't really think that she has too many more years at giving you offspring. You might want to think about taking her in the next season. Unless you and your hunting party thinks that she deserves to be taken out naturally. I couldn't imagine trying to eat with the worn down teeth she's probably got. With that in mind...you might be saving her from starvation by taking her. Might not be good steaks though. You always hear of hunting groups that make a certain animal "off limits" because of some certain thing that happened, but there has to come a time that they will go. Do you want it to be a hunter(that makes an ethical kill) or a car or coyote/wolf?

trophyhuntr

i would say the two fawns took up with her, and i would say she is not to old to have fawns, my two cents

Tazman

trophy what would you say if you had 3 cents?[8D]

Legacy357

maybe the fawns are the grandmother of the children...who knows

Idaho hunter 58

I shot a 7 year old doe this year, i don't know what your talking about when you say it tastes bad. It has to be the tenderist deer i have ever tasted.

Bruce H

Don't know about deer, but a dog breeder friend of ours had a female dog die just 4 days after giving birth. She gathered up the puppies, took them over to another breeder that had a female that was nursing and the new dog accepted and nursed them (and her own) just like they were her own; and not even the same breed of dog!

Bruce

Angus74

StumpMNHunter, Ive tried this year and last year to take this doe, but shes as smart as any deer Ive ever hunted, she has a sense when Im around, and avoids my stands. I had several chances to take her the first 4 or 5 years, but we let her go hoping she would throw a fawn with white on it, it never happened, last year when she had no fawns I decided to take her but that is easier said than done. The evening I saw her with the two fawns in my food plot was the first real chance to take her, she was 15 yards broadside. But I was videoing for a buddy that had never killed a deer before, and just as he was geting ready to shoot, a nice eight pointer came right under his stand, so he got him instead, and the doe wouldnt stay around for any more nonsense.