Just got to wondering. what is the typical sex of deer offspring? I'm no expert but considering there is usually more does than bucks in any given area does that mean that most deer that are born are does? and if that is the case why? I know the male determines sexual orientation in the offspring but why is the "X" chromosome so dominant in the species? and has a doe ever carried more than one fawn at a time? just wondering and know alot of you know this stuff.
From a strictly genetics perspective, the answer would be no. A "Y" chromosome is shorter, and therefore faster (as a sperm), than a "X" chromosome. It's a race, after all, and being smaller and faster would imply that male offspring would be more common. I would still say that the balance would be somewhere around 55/45 (though I have no evidence supporting that number). To your other questions I would say this. More people kill bucks, and in some areas you can't even shoot a doe without a special permit. So, if most people kill male deer, you're going to have a skewed ratio. Also, some of the "does" you're counting are probably yearling bucks. With that information in mind you can probably see how it may seem like more does are born each year than bucks. Yes, a deer can have twins and even triplets. It's actually quite common for a doe to have two offspring each season.
The balance is about 55/45. But, it's in favor of bucks being dropped (over doe fawns). For general discussion purposes, just figure it at 50/50. Does also actually have more input on genetics than bucks. No matter what you're seeing...or what people are telling you....it's virtually IMPOSSIBLE to sustain a doe:buck ratio of more than 3:1. Most herds are south of that number.
