More Spring Babies

This morning while I was doing chores at the barn I almost tripped over this brand new fawn sleeping in the grass.  After a fawn is born, a mother deer picks what she thinks is the safest place and leaves her offspring while she goes off to feed.  In this case mama was just outside the fence, but the fawn knew instinctively to remain motionless.

Deer fawns learn to walk as soon as they are born, but they are not very coordinated or able to run away from predators, so the safest thing for mom to do is deposit junior someplace and let him sleep.  Most predators that prey on deer can only see in black and white, so the fawn's spots allow it to blend easily into woods or a field.

This can be a little alarming, since humans can see in color, and may easily distinguish the fawn from its surroundings.  Mother deer have even been known to leave a fawn on a front porch behind a planter if she feels the fawn will be camouflaged.  Fawns are also born scentless, so unless predators stumble upon a fawn, they are unlikely to find it.

People often worry if they see a fawn alone that it has been abandoned, and try to approach it, pick it up or move it.  That is the worse thing one can do, because it will separate the fawn from his mother.  Even if you don't see mom, rest assured that she is somewhere nearby, and has not forgotten where she left junior.  Mother deer may leave their fawns for 12 hours at a time, so it is important if you see a fawn alone, to leave it exactly where you found it, and not touch or disturb it in any way- she'll be back to get him when she is finished with her errands.


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