‘Tis the season: Watch out for fawns

— from Shona Aitken for Wolf Hollow —

This is the time of year when you might come across a tiny fawn curled up in the grass in your yard or in the woods near your house. It will probably be all on its own with no Mom in sight, but that is perfectly normal.

For the first couple of weeks a fawn’s legs are too weak and wobbly to follow Mom through the woods and run away from predators, so its best chance of survival is to lie still and quiet, camouflaged by its spotted coat. Mom may leave her youngster for 6-8 hours before returning to feed it and perhaps move it to a different spot nearby.

Usually does are good at choosing quiet places to leave their fawns, but sometimes they turn up in odd places. Over the years we’ve had calls about fawns on decks, in the middle of a construction yard or on the green of a golf course. Occasionally they may even be found lying in the middle of the road. This usually happens when a fawn is slowly following Mom across the hard surface and a car suddenly appears. Mom leaps off into the bushes and the fawn instinctively drops to the ground and freezes. If the fawn is unhurt, the best course of action is to slide your hand under its belly, gently carry it a few feet off the side of the road and leave it in a safe, sheltered spot. Mom is probably nearby, waiting for you to leave so she can return for her baby.

For their first few weeks of life fawns are extremely vulnerable, not only to natural predators like foxes or eagles, but also to our dogs , so this is an especially good time to keep your dog close and not let it run off through the woods.

If you find a fawn, please don’t touch it or stay close to it. Quietly leave it in peace so Mom can take care of it.

If you are concerned that a fawn may be injured or separated from Mom, please give us a call. We’d be happy to discuss the situation with you. Wolf Hollow 360-378-5000.