Our 2024 class of white-tailed deer fawns is growing very fast and looking healthy as we enter autumn. Above, you see one of our regulars on Saturday, wondering what my intentions are. Below, you’ll see what I think is the same deer (or certainly a contemporary) as she appeared in July:
These fawns, if they survive a high infant fatality rate, grow extremely fast. They have to be ready to fend for themselves in an often-harsh winter. They usually weigh between 4 and 8 pounds when born in the spring and will weigh about 60-70 pounds by the time winter sets in, according to the literature. They achieve about 60 percent of their body growth during their first year. Most lose their fawn spots when it gets cooler and they begin growing their winter coats.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on September 21 and July 30, 2024.)