Ever wonder why there are so many deer in Virginia? When a doe has four at a time, it’s easy to see how there are now over a million animals in our fair state. My buddy, Chris Johnson, sent me this picture of a mother deer with four little ones resting in the shade. With quadruplets, she certainly has her hands (hooves) full.
Jimmy Graves of Graves Mountain Lodge told me not long ago that he had seen bears on his property with four cubs.
When conditions are ideal (a mild winter and good mast crop) animals like deer and bears can easily have multiple births.
By the way, if you see what appears to be an abandoned fawn – or even four abandoned fawns – leave them alone. Don’t be a Good Samaritan. The mother deer always abandons her fawns in the early stages to keep her scent from attracting predators. But she stays nearby and always comes back to nurse and tend to them. It’s how nature works.