DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum What to do if you find a fawn

I know we were talking about this earlier in the week, but it was a squirrel, just to add to the conversation


What to do if you find a fawn


It's that time of year when deer give birth to their young in Indiana. With the spread of suburban areas into natural habitats, many people find fawns that appear to be abandoned. Thinking the animals are orphaned, hurt, abandoned or lost, well-meaning individuals sometimes “rescue” them.

Doing so is not only unnecessary but also bad for the animal. It also is illegal if you don’t have the proper permit.

With more and more suburban areas being built close to natural areas, young animals are increasingly born near humans and discovered without an adult animal nearby, so a few reminders are especially pertinent.

"The apparent lack of an adult does not mean a young animal is alone," said Linnea Petercheff, operations staff specialist for the DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife. "Adults often leave their young alone while they forage for food, but rarely do they abandon their young."

The best way to make sure a fawn is truly orphaned is to wait and check it periodically.

Before taking any action, remember the following:

• If the fawn is not injured, the mother is likely nearby.
• Leave the fawn alone and its mother will probably come and get it. Deer can take better care of their young than a human can.
• Human scent on the fawn will not prevent the mother from taking care of it.
• If you do not see any deer nearby, have someone keep a lookout nearby that can watch the fawn without being seen by the mother. In most cases, the mother will come back and get the fawn after you leave the area.

Remember that wild animals are just that – wild animals – and should be left in the wild. White-tailed deer are protected by law and cannot be kept as a pet. Wild animal rehabilitation permits are issued to qualified individuals who take in sick, injured, or orphaned wild animals with the intent of releasing them back into the wild.

If you encounter an injured or truly abandoned deer, do one of the following:

• Call the DNR/USDA Wildlife Information Hotline, 1-800-893-4116, during business hours.
• Check the DNR/USDA-Wildlife Services Web site, wildlifehotline.info.
• Call the DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife in Indianapolis, (317) 232-4080.
• Call your DNR law enforcement district headquarters or regional headquarters; contact information is at: IN.gov/dnr/lawenfor/2755.htm
• Call a licensed veterinarian for immediate assistance with a sick or severely injured wild animal.

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Media Contact: Phil Bloom, (317) 502-1683.


** Does the same instruction aply to a stripper *****

I got this email last week:

A fawn followed my sister's neighbor's dog inside his house. Apparently the fawn followed the dog through a "doggie door" after the dog came back inside the house. The dog went on the couch and the fawn did the same. We have a huge over-population of deer here in Pennsylvania and deer are everywhere. My sister mentioned that her neighbor was really surprised and quickly got his camera to take the photo of the two on the couch. He directed the fawn back outside to the woods.

Hah! Now that's cool. Kudos for the neighbor leading the fawn back out the door.

This is timely! I mentioned a new born fawn in a thread last week also. Everything looked fine, but for some reason, the fawn has crossed the street again and is back in my neighbors yard. I was considering a lasso and leading it back across the street, but I really want to interact as little as possible.

So the mom is on my side of the street and apparently, (wisely)does not want to go back. The fawn is across the street at my neighbor's house, health and still very ferile. What should I do?

Contact city hall and see about getting a couple of deer crossing signs put up.... other than that, leave 'em alone.

Two words .... venison steaks.

I wonder if it is tender like veal??

Cool pic, grateful.

If it looks like this take lots of photo's

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=inwi10s22a3q81f

When I was a kid my grandfather raised two different fawns that stumbled onto his property by hand with a bottle and milk. They both pretty much stuck around until they got big enough to jump the fence. My grandfather said "If they are big enough to jump the fence, they are big enough to survive on their own."

Interesting take, not sure how true it is, but I let the old man have his peace.

There is a white or albino deer by my house that I have seen 2 times going to work. Ive talked about it at the barber shop an a few others have seen it too. The first time I saw it was during a winter storm on the way to work and me and the kid I was car poling with was amazed by it. It didnt even run when we went by it in the car so I got a pretty good close up look. It did have the redish pink eyes. My buddy said "what the hell is that? An abominal snow deer." it might be because of the winter months but it had long hair than most deer I have seen. The second time I saw it was a couple years later. I was wondering why someone would still have their x-mas lawn ornaments still up, and I didnt recall seeing it there before, until I saw it start running. The second time from a distance it did look like one of those deer lawn ornaments.