A more thorough explanation:

Definition: Defense-month, also known as fence-month, refers to the summer fawning season when it was illegal to hunt deer.

Example: In medieval England, defense-month was observed from mid-May to mid-June, during which hunting deer was prohibited to protect the young fawns.

Explanation: The example illustrates how defense-month was a period of time when hunting deer was not allowed. This was done to ensure that the young fawns had a chance to grow and thrive without being hunted. The term "defense-month" suggests that this was a measure taken to defend the deer population, while "fence-month" refers to the idea of putting up a fence or barrier to protect the young fawns.