If a doe is not mated, a second oestrus occurs approximately 28 days later. After mating, bucks shed their antlers and grow a larger set between January and April. In early summer, after a gestation period of about 200 days, does give birth to one or two young. Fawns weigh 5 to 8 pounds at birth, but quickly gain weight and can run within a week. Cared for only by the mother, she nurses them for about 5 months before weaning.
Fawns are able to walk at birth and nibble on vegetation only a few days later.
They are weaned at approximately six weeks. Females generally follow their mothers for about two years, but males leave the group within the first year. Bucks may form transient groups of 2-4 in the summer, but these disband prior to the mating season. Males begin rutting as early as September, and at this point become entirely preoccupied with obtaining matings. White-tail does are painstakingly careful to keep their offspring hidden from predators.