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Oh, Deer! Don’t fawn over me…

By Creature Feature In Critter Corner

In addition to baby birds leaving the nest, this is also the time of year that deer fawns are being born. Every once in awhile we will get a call about an “orphaned” deer fawn.  Mother deer will stay away from her fawn for most of the day, only coming back at dawn and dusk to feed the youngster. When a fawn is born, it actually doesn’t have a scent for about a week after it’s born. Mom also stays away from where the fawn rests in order to keep predators and danger away   Sometimes when people take a nature walk at this time of the year, they may encounter a fawn, lying quietly in a patch of grass or woods.  The spots on the fawn’s coat help it to blend into it’s surroundings to minimize the danger of being spotted.  The best thing to do is just observe quietly and leave the area.  It’s best not to disturb the baby.  Eventually mom will come back to check on her fawn and feed it. She is probably somewhere nearby but not right where the fawn is located. There is a wonderful book called” Lost in the Woods: A Photographic Fantasy” by  Carl R.Sams II and Jean Stoick that tells the story of a young fawn who is seemingly lost, but is not.  All of the animals who are around the fawn are afraid that he has been lost from his mother, but in the end she comes to take care of her baby. It’s a great story to read to children about how wild animals take care of their young.