What To Know About Baby Deer
- Mar 3
- 2 min read
~wildlife education~
Photo credit: istock.com/FRANKHILDEBRAND
Baby deer season is just around the corner, and the more you know about the habits of deer, the better the chances baby deer will remain where they belong - with their mothers.
Baby deer (known as fawns) are born from April through July. A female deer (or doe) can have one to three fawns; twins are quite common.
Until the babies are strong enough to keep up with their mom as she forages, she will hide them and may leave them alone for long periods of time. Because fawns have no scent, the doe can leave her baby alone while she browses. Her scent will attract predators away from the fawn. Also, the spots and colouring of fawns help to camouflage them from predators as they lay motionless in tall grass or in the forest.
Well-meaning members of the public have brought fawns to North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre (NIWRA) in the past, thinking they were orphaned. Walking through the woods, people would find a fawn nestled in tall grass and, thinking it abandoned, bring it to NIWRA. They did not understand that mother deer leave their fawns alone for a reason.
It’s a natural emotional response to want to pick up and feed a baby deer if we find one alone. What should you do instead if you find a fawn and see no mother deer in sight? Please leave it alone unless you can verify the doe is dead or that the fawn has suffered a life-threatening injury.
Did your children bring a baby deer home? Please take it back to where it was found. The mother will return. Even if a fawn has been taken from its mother for several hours, they can be successfully reunited.
If you find a fawn laying out flat on the side or in the middle of the road, stop and gently guide it off into the bush or ditch. This will save it from other motorists. The mother and fawn have become separated while crossing the road and she is probably watching you. Fawns tend to lay flat instinctively, hoping you and other scares will go away.
If the doe is dead nearby and the fawn must be brought to NIWRA, do not try to feed it. Please leave that to the professionals.
You can help the wildlife in care at NIWRA by making a financial contribution on our secure website. Thank you so much for caring about wildlife!
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