Do doe's breed the first year they are born or do they wait until the following fall?
I am no deer biologist so I asked a few wildlife biologist about this subject.
White-tailed doe fawns can become capable of breeding at six to seven months of age, but this varies a bit depending upon latitude and individual body condition. In northern states, whitetail fawns may achieve adequate size, but because of their bodies need for energy for survival, reproductive development will be delayed.
In addition, shorter days and cooler temperatures provide environmental cues that limit both sexual maturity and the breeding season in does. In southern parts of the United States, doe fawns can achieve puberty toward the end of the rut (January and early February) and be bred during that period. Often times, big white tail bucks observed chasing doe fawns that have come into estrus are blamed for the “ late rut.”
Doe fawns with excellent nutritional levels have greater chance of than of reaching sexual maturity than those with inadequate levels of nutrition. With this in mind, in areas with poor habitat, even yearling does (1.5-year old) can remain sexually immature. Around NW MO nutrition and habitat typically is not the problem.