Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Fawn birth

Got to witness one today.

Was sitting on a food plot in some plantation pines that my nemesis gobbler likes to strut in this morning.

Spotted a doe slipping through and she bedded down about 75 yards away. Saw her put her head down a couple of times and didn't really think anything of it. Then looked back over and saw something else moving around - yep, brand new wet fawn on wobbly legs.

Pretty cool

Walked over there after a bit. The doe ran off and the fawn was balled up under a bush. But it bleated before I could get my phone out and take a picture and mama doe came running back. I just decided to leave them be and slip out.

That was a first for me

PS - based on my research about whitetail gestation periods this fawn was conceived Oct 4 give or take 10 days. That's early (but we sure seemed to have an early rut last fall)

Few years ago I Happened upon this little guy and his mom while he was being born. Mom ran off and baby thought that I was his mom. He tried to suckle my leg. I was afraid that he would imprint on me and not mom. Thought about taking him to animal rescue but decided that the best thing was to leave him alone and let mom find him. As I was walking away he tried to follow me on shaky legs and he was mewing like a kitten. Heartbreaking.

havent seen them born but dealt with alot of new born on farm dangerous when mowing they will just lay there. and you hope to see them

Yeah, I've run over a half dozen or so over the years cutting hay. When they get in that tall grass, you won't see them until you find the pieces on the next pass.

They seem to have some smell trick that confuses dogs, on 2 occasions I have seen dogs with the their noses inches from a new fawn, and didn't really seem to be be able to sort out what it was.

They are born essentially without odor....as a defense mechanism. The mother eat the placentas to rid the area of that smell as well.

I wish the stupid assed antis could get a grasp on us...a bunch of hunters...finding such joy out of such a simple thing as the beginning of a life.

Farmer I know was mowing a hayfield in NJ and killed 2 fawns that way, he was a tough guy I thought but not that day.

No doubt.

Last year two fawns were born under the tree to the left of the leaning tree in the first photo. Tree has a little opening near the leaning tree the doe used as a doorway. The second photo shows just how close it is to my dad's house. Next time I see them I will try to get a good photo of them now that they appear to be mature.

The tree in the middle next to the beige house is where two of the three deer were born last year. One is the mother, but I don't know which is which. The turkeys are wild. The greenish house to the left is at least 4,000 square feet and is abandoned. The living room is as large as my house!