Animals in autumn – How they prepare for winter: The roe deer

Appearance
The roe deer is the most common and smallest antlered hoofed game – but only the buck has antlers. It sheds its coat twice a year: reddish in summer, grey-brown in winter. The white patch on its hindquarters is called a ‘mirror’.
Reproduction
July and August mark the rutting season (mating season). One often sees areas where the forest floor has been scraped up; these are known as ‘scraping sites’, where the buck scrapes the ground to mark his territory. In May/June, two fawns are usually born. The white spots on the young animals disappear again from August onwards.
Diet
Roe deer are very fond of treats and are fussy eaters. They feed mainly in the morning and evening hours.
Predators
Their predators include foxes, martens, eagle owls, stray dogs, busy roads and, sadly, humans and their mowers, as fawns are often set down (moved to safety) by their does in the fields.
Distinctive features
Roe deer have a particularly wide range of vocalisations with which they communicate with one another. The vocalisations we recognise in fawns include the squeaking between doe and fawn, the barking cry of alarm from the doe and the buck, and the squeaking of the doe during the rutting season. The cry of pain is a wail uttered in the throes of mortal fear. The antlers are shed between the end of October and January. The young antlers, known as velvet antlers, are shed (formed) anew each year. The roebuck must first rub off the velvet from these.