This year’s spring molt among our white-tailed deer seems to be occurring unevenly. Some deer already have experienced a smooth transition from heavy gray coats to lighter/cooler reddish-brown ones; others – such as this doe – are still virtually all gray and so patchy that they almost appear to be mangy:
We seem to be having an unusually chilly May so far. I wonder if that is affecting the molt. Nonetheless, don’t worry about this patchy cutey; we see her frequently and she’s acting normally – too normally when she sneaks into our garden.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on May 17, 2023.)