Just got an email from the veterinarian who performed the necropsy on the drop dead doe. And I quote:

"She keeled over because she had a HUGE abscess in the left ventricle of her heart. I suspect that the running put her over the edge."

She goes on to explain that it was amazing that the doe lived as long as she did.

So. No horrible, contagious diseases have infected my herds (as far as we know). They're going to run tests and look, just to be sure, but this appears to be a freaky act of nature.

Of course, it adds guilt, since if I hadn't popped over the rise and scared her and her fawn into running, the doe might still be alive. So long as nobody else drove that pipeline, and no coyotes came by to harass them.

Oh, and for those who asked about her fawn?

No guarantees, of course, but studies done way back in the last century showed that antelope fawns are able to feed themselves by about mid-July. They still nurse until weaned, normally in September, but can and do feed themselves in between. If her fawn finds other antelope to hang around with, which is likely, it should have almost as good a chance as any other.

One surprising thing learned when radio transmitters became small enough to place in eartags is that antelope fawns do not stay with their mothers for long. Once the rut sets in, in late September and early October, both male and female fawns scattered off and spent no more time with their mother.

So, when you see a band of doe antelope, those are probably not all relatives. Unlike mule deer, where these herds are probably made up of mothers, aunts, grandmothers and sisters.

Wife's home for lunch. Gotta go.