Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
fawn is more likely to be skittish of human scent than an older, more experienced doe. Usually, it takes
the combination of a yearling mother and handling a wet, newborn fawn to trigger abandonment.
More common are instances in which wardens or biologists have taken an “orphaned” fawn from
someone who has picked it up, carried it back to the place where it was found, and then hidden nearby
to await results. In most cases the doe showed up—sometimes after the fawn had been absent for as
long as two or three days—and accepted her offspring with no apparent concern for any human scent.
The subject of supposedly orphaned fawns is an excellent place to introduce another common mis-
understanding—that deer make good pets. Taking a fawn, genuinely orphaned or not, and raising it as
a “pet deer” is a thoroughly bad idea that usually ends in great unhappiness for all concerned. There are
several reasons for this. The first is that in most states it's illegal for unqualified people to keep wild
mammals. Such laws exist for extremely valid reasons, which should be sufficient grounds for obeying
them.
Second, what usually happens is that someone finds an “abandoned” fawn and raises it for a few
months, even a year or two, and then the state wildlife agency hears about it. Conservation officers ar-
rive and remove the deer over the outraged and tearful protestations of the family, and everyone loses.
The unfortunate deer is no longer fit for release into the wild, the family is both sad and angry, and the
wildlife agency people, no matter how carefully they handle the affair, are almost invariably accused of
“Gestapo tactics.”
Third, “pet” deer can be extremely dangerous. Although a great many people, especially those who
are raising a so-called pet deer, simply can't believe such a lovely, gentle creature would ever harm
them, the fact is that every year individuals are seriously injured, or even killed, by their gentle “pet.”
Bucks are more dangerous than does, of course, because of their antlers, which can easily puncture
a person. They're also apt to be especially rambunctious during the fall mating season. But even
seemingly docile does can be unpredictable and turn on their keepers in an instant, slashing with
sharp hooves that can do great damage. The bottom line is that wild animals, including deer, are just
that—wild. Even though they may seem domesticated, they're still inherently wild, and no one should
attempt to make pets of them!
A doe's milk is extremely rich—far richer than cow's milk—and fawns grow with astonishing rapid-
ity. No doubt this is an evolutionary trait which ensures that fawns will be large enough by late autumn
to survive the harshness of winter. Within a month, fawns have already tripled their birth weight and are
also eating plant materials. After roughly two and a half months they can survive without their mother's
milk, although they'll continue to nurse somewhat less frequently for another two or three months.
By late summer, fawns gradually lose their spots and begin to look much like smaller editions of the
adults. Total weight by late autumn is largely a function of nutrition, but genetics certainly plays a role.
In northern areas, fawns average seventy to eighty pounds, but they can grow much larger under ideal
conditions. In rich farm country, where there's an abundance of high-quality feed all summer, fawns
may run ninety to one hundred pounds after six months, and exceptional specimens may weigh more
than 150 pounds.
