Fawns are born in the late spring, around late May to early June. Mating occurs in the fall, but deer have delayed implantation, so the fawns are born after the winter months have passed. Foods are difficult to find in winter, so delayed implantation allows the deer to be successful in reproduction. More fawns survive than if they had been born in the middle of winter.

Fawns rely on their camouflage and stillness to hide them while waiting for their mothers. Newborns are a bit wobbly on their new legs, so they often hide nearby while the mother feeds. She doesn't leave them alone for long and never wanders too far away. If you find a fawn all by itself, don't take it away! The mother deer is likely nearby and just waiting for you to leave so she can come back to her baby.

Fawns are very good at hiding themselves in the brush. I found this one only because a raven was in a tree above, making a racket because it saw the fawn below. I followed the raven's cries and found the fawn.

When I got too close to a doe and her fawn, the little one took off using a stotting gait. In this gait, all four feet can be off the ground at the same time. They appear to be flying through the air. This gait allows the animal to make quick turns. It is good for outrunning predators.

Fawns are also very curious about their new world. This one was following its mother, but stopped for a moment to check out the photographer.

These twins were both trying to nurse at the same time. One got there first, so the second one had to wait.

This track set tells a story. The mother doe walked ahead and the fawn followed. The fawn stayed very close to its mother and stepped on her track! The fawn's track is only an inch long! Tiny feet!

This is the location where the fawn in the photo below was born. Notice how the doe carefully prepared the area by scraping it clean of leaves. Two fawns were born right here!

A doe and tiny fawn caught on my trail camera. The shutter speed was slow, so the doe's head is blurred because she moved.

The fawns in the photo above are less than an hour old. They were born right where they are sitting now. I examined the site later. (See photos above of their birth site.) A friend of mine found them and snapped this photo. The youngest fawns I've ever seen! They encountered their first human that day too.

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