I'm so upset.

[Vinca]

I always keep an eye out for deer around the plants and yesterday I noticed 2 little ears sticking up in the deep grass on the far end of the lawn. I watched with binoculars and it stuck its little head up and looked around. There were no large deer around at all. I went outside and checked the woods around the area where the fawn was and didn't see any other deer. I decided to check on the fawn to see if it might be injured and I walked right up to it. It was tiny - probably less than a week old. As I reached over to check it, it hopped up and scampered off into the woods and looked okay. But now, of course, I'm worried its an orphan. My husband says the mother deer is probably out there somewhere and will find the fawn, but I'm worried to death about that poor little creature. We live in a rural area and there are a half dozen "regulars" who roam the hillside and I'm hoping the fawn is from one of them.

[MuseRider]

1. It will probably be fine.

A mother deer can find her baby pretty easily. I know the rescue folks spend a lot of time this time of year taking little fawns back to where someone picked them up because they were afraid they were lost from their mother. They are almost always found by mom. Yearlings will do this too when mom leaves the new baby and the yearling starts out on it's own a bit.

Mom leaves the babies in a place they think is safe while they go out to forage. It is not unusual for one to get up and roam at some point or be frightened away from the location.

I totally understand you. Even though I know this, have worked with these rescue people and heard their stories (I have no personal experience with this) I would still worry myself but my guess is that it will be fine.

[Vinca]

2. Thanks for your insight. You're probably right.

I saw 2 of the "regulars" this afternoon, but the fawn and mom haven't turned up today. As far as I can tell there haven't been any deer killed by cars in the area and I'm not aware of anyone hunting out of season, so the fawn is probably fine. It's a shame I didn't get a photo of it. I've never been so close to one and what a beautiful baby it was! I'll have to watch the tracks in my garden, too. (It's very strange. I spray a nasty rotten egg mixture around the garden a couple of times a week and the deer never touch the plants even though they walk through checking it out. I lose an occasional plant to a hoof, but they rarely eat anything they hate that egg smell so much.)

[MuseRider]

3. Lets just say

I HOPE I am right. This is what I have been told by the rescue groups. I talked to one just last week about that who came out to retrieve a young coyote who had been hit by a car and managed to drag himself into one of my barn stalls. He was pretty far gone, would not eat, had a hip bone sticking out and was thin as I have ever seen. Poor little guy. I tried everything to get some food and water in him. By the time they came out he was barely moving and did not struggle at all as we loaded him in a crate. He was too far gone but he was put down humanely so I cried but was happy he was out of his pain.

I always worry about the animals as well. I figure if it is on my land it is safe from hassle so I think there are quite a few who actually stay close since most of the others out here will shoot anything that moves that is not theirs on sight.

How wonderful to have had such a close encounter. The closest I ever came to a little one like that was on horseback and it ran so fast it was just a fleeting glimpse.

[Vinca]

4. Update: the little fawn has been spotted with the momma deer.

All is well.