 |
| When you happen upon a baby deer, otherwise known as a fawn, please keep in mind not to touch it or be tempted to take it home. Even though you may think it has been abandoned by the mother doe, be assured this is not the case. The mother doe often will leave the fawn hidden while she is foraging for food. She does this to protect her young. Imagine her dismay if she returned to find her precious little one missing. |
Whitetail deer fawns are normally born sometime between late April and early July. At birth, white tail fawns have a spotted coat. The spots are to camouflage the fawn, allowing it to blend in with it's surrounding environment. The whitetail fawn loses its spots by the end of October of the same year it was born, or within 3 to 4 months after birth. The fawn is also weaned by the time it loses its spots. By November the average whitetail male fawn will weigh close to 80 to 85 pounds, and the female fawn will weigh 75 to 80 pounds. When a fawn is born it is odorless so that predators are not attracted to its location. The mother doe will stay away from the fawn for a few days so that her scent does not rub off on the fawn or attract predators to the area where the fawn is hiding, while gaining strength. When a fawn detects danger it will remain perfectly still. Fawns that live past the first week have a good chance of surviving to adulthood. A doe and her fawns live as a family group until the fawns are weaned. Sometimes multiple does and whitetail fawns will group together. The area where the fawn is born normally becomes its adult habitat.
