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Last month we ran a photo from Lee Aument of a doe nursing its fawn in January, a sign that the young deer was born later than usual. Aument’s trail camera caught another photo proving the point, as this fawn with spots was photographed on Jan. 31. There’s no doubt a fawn with spots in the middle of winter was born late, but Aument questioned why the deer still has its spots even after shedding its summer coat for the winter?
According to Pennsylvania Game Commission biologist Kevin Wenner, the fawn didn’t shed its coat because it was born too late in the year. Wenner surmised the fawn was born in October, during the time when deer are shedding their coats to prepare for the winter. Typically, fawns are born in May and June and they shed their spotted coats in early fall, Wenner said. Considering the mild winter we’ve experienced, it’s possible that this fawn will make it through to the spring despite never having a chance to grow a winter coat.
Capture anything interesting on your hand-held or trail camera? A nice buck, bear, coyote or any other wildlife? We’d love to see it. Each week, we’ll run photos from a reader’s trail camera on the Sunday Outdoors page. Email your photo, along with date and area it was taken (township is fine), and any other details to [email protected].
— Tom Venesky
