At about a week old, it’s a coin flip as to whether a fawn will stay curled up on the ground when found or jump up and sprint off. Will our capture crews win the coin toss?
We know male deer disperse. Because this behavior has persisted, we know there must be a benefit (dispersers pass on more genes compared those that do not disperse). But why would the deer cross the road or river or mountain in the first place?
It has been about a week into the critical 3-week period of fawns dropping (does giving birth), but we didn’t seem to be finding any fawns. Until today.
The mystery of male dispersal has vanished with the advent of the radio- and GPS- collar. Now we can determine the who, when, and how far for those boys that hit the road.
June is not only fawning season but graduation season as well. Graduation marks an end but also a beginning. Is it a coincidence that graduation and fawning season coincide? For deer, June is just as exciting and life changing as graduating.
