After three or four weeks, fawns start following their
mother, eating whatever she eats—grasses, leaves, stems,
berries, and acorns. Deer are vegetarians, specifically
herbivores. Fawns continue to nurse until they are gradually
weaned at three or four months old. Since the color of the
white fur spots on the fawn’s coat does not go all the way
down to the root, the spots eventually fade as their fur grows
out. In the fall, fawns, does, and bucks begin to grow a heavier
reddish winter coat that will keep them warm during the
colder months.
As they mature, female fawns will continue to live with
their mothers while males are driven off when they reach a
year or two of age. Does are social animals, often living in
groups with other does and fawns. Bucks are usually loners
until their antlers are fully-grown and mating season begins.
Then they can be seen sparring with each other over the
right to mate with a doe. A change in hormones triggers
more aggressive behavior this time of year, so it is especially
important to keep a safe distance from bucks with massive
antlers. Speaking of antlers, did you know that a buck’s antlers
are the fastest growing living tissue, sometimes growing up
to half an inch per day during the spring through fall? Bucks
may stay with the does during the winter, when they lose their
antlers, but will return to their own territory in the spring,
when the antler growing cycle starts back up. NK
Photos by Jack Kotz
often doesn’t know the exact location of her fawns because
they gradually become more mobile and often wander a bit
from the area. If the doe cannot find them, she will just go
to the general vicinity of where she left them and give out a
maternal call. The fawns will jump up and scamper over to her.
During this period, the female nurses the fawns four to
six times a day. As fawns nurse, they make quiet “yummy”
sounds, similar to sounds of nursing babies. It is easy to
mistake resting fawns as being abandoned, but their mother
is usually nearby, often watching. Approaching or touching a
fawn can put the fawn at risk of being neglected by its mother.
If you ever see a fawn that looks abandoned, just let it be.
WINTER/SPRING 2016 • VOLUME 35
33