Thread: Telling if a hind has a fawn.

From a physiological point of view any mixed age hind in reasonable condition is very likely to have a fawn. I don’t have any real knowledge on wild deer, but in farmed deer mixed age hind conception rates should be 95% plus unless you’ve had a shocker of some kind and survival rates in scrubby country should be 93-96%. That’s for a red hind mated to a red stag. So roughly there’s a 90% chance a hind that’s between about 3 and 9 years of age will have a fawn at foot from mid December onwards. Prior to about 90 days of age fawn survival after weaning is not that great and it’s safe to say any fluffy, potbelly yearlings you say later on are early weaned fawns. Yearling hinds (R2’s) are very much able to get in fawn and raise a fawn though body weight and condition at the rut is a determining factor as to wether they go through puberty and are able to get pregnant. I would guess conception rates in yearling’s in the bush would be much lower and their ability to raise a fawn would also be much lower. Maybe 30-40%? After about 10 years of age hind fertility starts dropping off, the older the quicker. I would guess older hinds in the wild would have reproduce at similar rates to farm deer with fawning more spread out, probably later starting and much later finishing. So mixed age hinds in the bush are probably going to have a fawn on them throughout the summer and autumn period. How can you tell for sure? If you can see an udder is the only sure way. In saying that they are difficult to see, deer udders are very small unless they are very well fed, though if you can see between the back legs they will either have a little bag or absolutely nothing at all. Like tahr said if they are by themselves there’s probably one hidden and if you think you will be able to see one forget it. They’re bloody hard to see in a flat paddock with grass 6 inches long, they are the masters of hiding.