Ginger

Harry mac

Well-Known Member
I shot a roe doe this morning that I've been after since first seeing her just before the end of the buck season. The reason she had to go was that she hadn't formed a full winter coat. She was quite ginger in appearance with tufts of winter coat in various places. She seemed healthy enough though, no limping, no strange behaviour and no abnormalities inside that I could see when I gralloched her. She was quite an old animal, 6 yrs + I'd say. Could the pelage issue be age related?
 
Harry mac,

any photos of the coat, was there any winter coat at all.
Was the coat even or thick in places. Not sure as to why its happened but i did see a doe last year that was very thin coated and seem GINGER as stated but was perfect in every other way.
A guess its a hormone imbalance or even a sign that its not cold enough to encourage the coats to change ???

p,
 
As per usual, I'd left the camera at home, so no pics I'm afraid. Like I say, she had tufts of winter coat, but it was predominantly summer. She's the only one I've seen like it. She was with two other does which I suspect were her kids, one of which I shot, they were both in full winter coat.
 
It would need to be extreme age affecting i.e. the pituitary gland or, as PSS says the hormone balance I would think. I was seeing regularily an old roe doe a few years back in Galloway that was still in it's winter coat in early June, visibly she had no kids. When I culled her the following January her teeth were very worn and she was barren so I assume it was an effect of old age.

Even in the mildest winters a healthy beast will always change to its winter pelage in my experience.
 
End of buck season most old does will still be gingers and as the winter pushes through they turn but some slower than others.

Doe at JayB noveber 2011
sutherland85.jpg
 
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