Editing Deer (section)

===Reproduction===

{{main|Rut (mammalian reproduction)#Cervidae}}
[[File:Wapiti (01) 2006-09-19.JPG|left|thumb|Female [[elk]] nursing young]]
Nearly all cervids are so-called [[wikt:uniparental|uniparental]] species: the young, known in most species as fawns, are only cared for by the mother, most often called a doe. A doe generally has one or two fawns at a time (triplets, while not unknown, are uncommon). Mating season typically begins in later August and lasts until December. Some species mate until early March. The [[gestation period]] is anywhere up to ten months for the European roe deer. Most fawns are born with their fur covered with white spots, though in many species they lose these spots by the end of their first winter. In the first twenty minutes of a fawn's life, the fawn begins to take its first steps. Its mother licks it clean until it is almost free of scent, so [[predator]]s will not find it. Its mother leaves often to graze, and the fawn does not like to be left behind. Sometimes its mother must gently push it down with her foot.<ref name="Ref_a">[http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/animals/mammals/deer.htm Deer – info and games] Sheppard Software.</ref>{{better source needed|date=December 2020}} The fawn stays hidden in the grass for one week until it is strong enough to walk with its mother. The fawn and its mother stay together for about one year. A male usually leaves and never sees his mother again, but females sometimes come back with their own fawns and form small herds.