Research studies in the Southeast have found that a doe can be bred by multiple bucks and produce fawns with different fathers.
The two fetuses in the accompanying photograph were collected from a doe, but the fetuses are much different in size. One fetus is about 55 days old, and the other fetus is 62 days old.
In this situation, the doe probably ovulated, producing an egg from one ovary and was bred by a buck on this day that she cycled. A week later, the doe had another estrus cycle and produced an egg from the other ovary, and was bred by a different buck on that day.
It is also possible that on the day a doe cycles, she could be bred by more than one buck, since the typical chase usually involves several bucks and the doe will stay in the estrus cycle for 24 hours.
