Fawns: look, but don’t touch?

  • Published
  • By Raquel March
  • AEDC Public Affairs
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  Within the past few months, some whitetail does gave birth to fawns and several have been spotted at the Administration and Engineering building.

Some fawns were seen with their mother in the tall grass, and some were seen alone resting for long periods of time.

“Fawns spend their first four to five weeks hiding for most of the day as they are most vulnerable to predation at this age,” said Brandon Bailey, Arnold Air Force Base Natural Resources manager. “The mother will leave the fawn throughout the day so that she can forage. Fawns typically hide in thick cover or tall grass, but they are often found at the base of trees in mowed areas.”

Most observers believe that the doe has abandoned the fawn when they see the fawn and no mother in sight. But according to Bailey, this is natural behavior for a doe.

“Fawns will generally lay in a flat curled position with their head low to hide when approached,” he said. “Whitetail fawns dramatically reduce their breathing and heartrate as a threat gets closer. People often misjudge this shallow breathing as weakness from malnutrition or abandonment. As they get older they will begin to run from perceived threats rather than hide.”

It is best to leave the fawn where it is if there doesn’t seem to be any danger.

“A misconception about whitetail fawns is that ‘if a fawn is touched or handled by a human, its mother will abandon it,’” Bailey said. “Multiple studies have shown the mother will return, but still, fawns should never be handled unless absolutely necessary.”