This can be a common sight in the spring and early summer — a mom white-tailed deer and her fawn, grazing on spring abundance.
Seth Raven of Waldo caught this doe-fawn pair, quietly grazing without a care in the world. The fawn gingerly keeps up with its mother with its wobbly new legs.
Peak fawning season is mid-June, and nearly a third of the fawns do not survive past five months, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Does often leave their fawns for hours at a time and may hide their offspring in the leaves in the woods or fields with high grass. The fawns are safe with their camouflaged coats and lack of scent, the MDIF&W said. Does return two or three times during the day to nurse.
If you find a hidden fawn, or one that seems to be all alone, it’s best to leave it where it is. The mother will come back, the department said.
Maine’s white-tailed deer population density is from one to five deer per square mile in northern Maine and from 15 to 35 per square mile in central and southern parts of the state.
