13 August 2023
Within the metropolis of Pittsburgh there are such a lot of white-tailed deer that it’s simple to see them in August. The bucks are consuming, consuming, consuming to bulk up. The does are hanging out with their adolescent fawns on this temporary interval between birthing and mating. It’s the calm earlier than the rut.
Final Friday morning I discovered eight deer resting in dappled shade in Schenley Park. My cellphone images don’t do them justice apart from this: The images present how exhausting it’s to note deer which might be mendacity down and never shifting.
A number of of them moved, nonetheless, grooming to shed their chestnut brown summer season coats for gray-brown winter pelage. The picture above exhibits 4 bucks with antlers in velvet, every with a distinct level depend: 4-point, 6-point, 7-point and 8-point.
Two does and two fawns rested a brief distance from the males. The fawns gave the group away. They didn’t maintain nonetheless for lengthy. (The second doe shouldn’t be within the picture.)
One week earlier it was unattainable to not see this six-point buck looking the hillside proper subsequent to the Decrease Path.
He’s leaving loads of greenery behind however the leaves he’s not consuming are unpalatable invasive aliens referred to as goutweed. The buck is nosing by way of them to re-browse the deer-food crops hidden under the goutweed. These meals crops received’t get well this late within the season. When he’s carried out, all of the meals will probably be gone.
In August the times are nonetheless longer than the nights and deer hormones will not be surging but but it surely’s solely a matter of time and the Equinox earlier than their sedate demeanor ends. In response to the PA Sport Fee, after 12 weeks of rut pleasure from mid October by way of early January:
- 98% of the mature does could have bred
- 40% of the fawns could have bred at solely 6-7 months outdated (metropolis/suburb phenomenon)
- 85% of the pregnancies will lead to twins or triplets, some with totally different fathers.
It’s calm now earlier than the storm.
(images by Kate St. John)
