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When we are out and about in the woods and fields this time of year we might happen to find a deer fawn that appears to be abandoned.  The poor little thing is all alone with no mother anywhere around.  The first impulse is to take it home and feed it to save it.  This is almost always the wrong thing to do.  Does almost never abandon their fawns.  They stay away from them except for feeding time as a survival strategy.  I have read that a newborn fawn is so odor free that a dog can not smell it.  So the doe stays away from it to keep from leading a predator to it.  "Abandoned" fawns are almost never abandoned.

http://www.chattanoogan.com/2015/6/12/302279/TWRA-Says-Removing-Whi...

TWRA Says Removing White-Tailed Fawns From The Wild Does More Harm Than Good

Friday, June 12, 2015
Safe and sound. While many people might consider it abandoned, the mother is nearby nourishing herself while the fawn rests in a safe place in thick cover.
Safe and sound. While many people might consider it abandoned, the mother is nearby nourishing herself while the fawn rests in a safe place in thick cover. 
- photo by Sterling Daniels

As calls reporting abandoned White-tailed fawns are pouring in, the TWRA is reminding citizens to think twice before removing them from the wild in an attempt to rescue them from seeming abandonment.

TWRA Wildlife Biologist Sterling Daniels offers this information to those who may be considering “rescuing” a fawn that in most cases, would have been better left alone: “White-tailed deer have a very effective survival strategy for their offspring that may be misinterpreted by many people and it is very rare for a doe to ever abandon a fawn. Fawns are typically born May through July, with June being the most common month.  For the first weeks of a fawn’s life, the mother will keep her distance from the bedded newborn only returning for just a few hours each day for nursing. This survival strategy reduces the chance of leading predators to their location. If someone encounters a fawn, the best thing to do is leave it alone.” 

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Replies to This Discussion

Charles,

Thank you for the info.  LOL, you know me I would think the poor thing was lost and try to help.  Now I know to just leave it alone

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