Doe who lost her fawns.

[First-light]

There was a doe on my property that had two fawns. I heard the lease next to me shot the fawns opening morning. Sounds crazy but they did. 

They actually didn't find one. So opening day afternoon my daughter and I are sitting on my side hill. Along comes a mature doe. She hangs around moving very slowly up the hill. 

Every 10 seconds or so she looks behind from where she came. This went on for twenty minutes or so. I thought a buck may be trailing her. Do you think this may be the doe that had to two fawns and she was watching to see if they were coming back to her? I know it might be a reach but she was acting weird. Also we all know deer vocalize. Would she call out to them or is it more of a scent that would bring them back. Just curious.

Thanks,

FL

[steve863]

Why does it sound crazy for the hunters next to your property to shoot the fawns if the had doe tags?  Would it be more acceptable if they shot the mother instead?  I think either way, the surviving deer will go on living.

I haven't seen a mother looking for her young, but I have seen fawns come looking for what must have been their mother when a big doe was shot from a group of does.

 

[G-Man]

Fawns may follow their mother this time of year but they are mature and can breed and survive on their own. I wouldnt worry about it. She raised 2 and will prolly raise 2 next year

[First-light]

First off I was just asking if the mother would keep an eye out for her missing fawns. By me most hunters will pass the smaller ones until later in season, especially on opening day. By all means if you have the tags use them. That is a personal choice. 

[Jeremy K]

Dont they kick them to the curb once things get stinky anyway ? Next thing ya know shes leaving them at home while she goes out to play "bingo" before ya know it those fawns are running with a bad crowd and getting arrested ,I've seen it a hundred times ...

Edited December 5, 2020 by Jeremy K

[Kmartinson]

I've seen does kick their babies in the face in pre rut so I think everyone will be fine. I also shoot all size deer if the the freezer calls for it. Herd animals always look for eachother but it also could be her evading predation.

[The_Real_TCIII]

Dont they kick them to the curb once things get stinky anyway ? Next thing ya know shes leaving them at home while she goes out to play "bingo" before ya know it those fawns are running with a bad crowd and getting arrested ,I've seen it a hundred times ...

How many times must we hear a fawn yell "YOURE NOT MY FATHER!!!" and lock itself in its bedroom?


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[rachunter]

I once shot a doe with her fawn(BB) when she ran he followed her then came running back like he saw a ghost. I still think about the way that deer looked running away when ever I see a button buck.


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[The_Real_TCIII]

I shot a doe the last few minutes of archery a few years back. I tracked a bit and saw two fawns looking over the bank of a creek and thought wonderful, she's in the water. Sure enough they were staring down at her. But plot twist: one grew up to be a lawyer and the other is first chair viola in the BPO. So don't worry about fawns


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[Moho81]

I have never really witnessed a Doe protecting her fawns. I’ve seen them let their fawns walk right under me while they hung back in the thick stuff safe and out of danger. I’ve seen them run in an opposite direction of their fawns when bumped or even run off and leave the fawns there not knowing what was happening.

So to answer your question with my guess. I don’t think Does really have a instinctual protective/guiding nature with their fawns so I’d be surprised if she was looking back waiting for them to join back up with her.


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[Hunter Wallace]

My thought would be,...a doe will try to draw the danger away from her fawns.how many times in the summer have you bumped a doe up in a field,only to find a fawn still bedded down,while the doe makes sure you see her jumping and showing you her flag.

[Hunter Wallace]

As far as the bow and regular season goes,thru the years I hardly ever have seen a nice mature buck with the does that have trailing yearlings.Most of the time I see those buck trailing mature doe,more so after the shooting starts.Are the doe with yearlings not coming into esstress ?Or are the doe keeping the yearlings away from the buck to protect them from attack?

[First-light]

1 hour ago, Moho81 said:

I have never really witnessed a Doe protecting her fawns. I’ve seen them let their fawns walk right under me while they hung back in the thick stuff safe and out of danger. I’ve seen them run in an opposite direction of their fawns when bumped or even run off and leave the fawns there not knowing what was happening.

So to answer your question with my guess. I don’t think Does really have a instinctual protective/guiding nature with their fawns so I’d be surprised if she was looking back waiting for them to join back up with her.


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Thanks for answering the question!

[NYBowhunter]

2 hours ago, Moho81 said:

I have never really witnessed a Doe protecting her fawns. I’ve seen them let their fawns walk right under me while they hung back in the thick stuff safe and out of danger. I’ve seen them run in an opposite direction of their fawns when bumped or even run off and leave the fawns there not knowing what was happening.

So to answer your question with my guess. I don’t think Does really have a instinctual protective/guiding nature with their fawns so I’d be surprised if she was looking back waiting for them to join back up with her.


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I have witnessed protective does, many years ago me and my uncle found a newly born fawn on our logging road in the spring. We had to move her to get by with the UTV as she wouldn't  move an inch. I picked her up to move her slightly up hill, she let out a God awful bawl . What do you know here comes mamma charging down off that mountain looking to kill what just touched her baby,  mamma just stood there and stared and me and my uncle until her fawn climbed up the hill to her and off they went. That doe stood there and didn't run off until her baby was safe. So yes does can be very protective. I think in this instance with firstlight that doe was either being pushed by a buck or pressured by hunters,   I have seen deer continuously look back where they came from to keep a distance and tab on whatever pushed them. Deer get that jittery and "weird " when pressured by hunters/bucks.

[NYBowhunter]

2 hours ago, Hunter Wallace said:

As far as the bow and regular season goes,thru the years I hardly ever have seen a nice mature buck with the does that have trailing yearlings.Most of the time I see those buck trailing mature doe,more so after the shooting starts.Are the doe with yearlings not coming into esstress ?Or are the doe keeping the yearlings away from the buck to protect them from attack?

The 7 point i shot this year was trailing a doe with a 6 month doe fawn, not sure which one was coming into heat, but he was on thier trail. To answer your question either doe fawn or mature doe, if thier in estrous a mature buck will give chase to both or either of. Few years back in the late season with the ML  I shot a mature 9 point, his demise believe it or not were two 6 month old doe fawns. Even though he was in ruff shape weight wise, he was very mature and looked ridiculously big compared to those two little does but obviously one or both were coming into estrous. He kept nudging and trailing  them, but they seemed  jittery.  What I'm trying to get at is a buck will give chase to a doe, doe with fawns, just doe fawns if the timing is right.

[fasteddie]

3 hours ago, Hunter Wallace said:

As far as the bow and regular season goes,thru the years I hardly ever have seen a nice mature buck with the does that have trailing yearlings.Most of the time I see those buck trailing mature doe,more so after the shooting starts.Are the doe with yearlings not coming into esstress ?Or are the doe keeping the yearlings away from the buck to protect them from attack?

Fawns aren't "yearlings" ..........

[Hunter Wallace]

Oh sorry fasteddie,...how about youngins?their immature deer what’s the difference.didn’t know I had to be so persice.

[Steuben Jerry]

20 minutes ago, Hunter Wallace said:

Oh sorry fasteddie,...how about youngins?their immature deer what’s the difference.didn’t know I had to be so persice.

Don't get your panties in a bunch. Fawns and yearlings are two different things.

[Five Seasons]

On 12/5/2020 at 11:23 AM, steve863 said:

Why does it sound crazy for the hunters next to your property to shoot the fawns if the had doe tags?  Would it be more acceptable if they shot the mother instead?  I think either way, the surviving deer will go on living.

I haven't seen a mother looking for her young, but I have seen fawns come looking for what must have been their mother when a big doe was shot from a group of does.

 

I don't know if it's crazy, but to take a life for such little meat is an interesting choice. I've done it once and I regret it after the meat yielded was just so small that it wasn't worth it. I try not to take a mom with fawns either, but I have and will if I need the meat. At least the fawns are likely to do ok and with the mom I get a bunch of meat. 

[Five Seasons]

On 12/5/2020 at 12:46 PM, Jeremy K said:

Dont they kick them to the curb once things get stinky anyway ? Next thing ya know shes leaving them at home while she goes out to play "bingo" before ya know it those fawns are running with a bad crowd and getting arrested ,I've seen it a hundred times ...

they kick them out and then they generally come back together after mom has her "fill" haha.

[Five Seasons]

On 12/5/2020 at 12:19 PM, First-light said:

First off I was just asking if the mother would keep an eye out for her missing fawns. By me most hunters will pass the smaller ones until later in season, especially on opening day. By all means if you have the tags use them. That is a personal choice. 

This site has a passion for "if it's legal"...

 

There is also nothing wrong with disagreeing with others another's choice so long as you're not shaming. You want to shoot a bb? Sure, it's legal and I wont shame you for it. But if asked if I support people shooting bb's I can also state my opinion is to let small bucks walk. And that opinion shouldn't be met with "as long as it's legal, mind your business". There is nothing wrong with discussing opinions as long as we're civil. Shit, half the mess this country is in is because we can't have a discussion on something if we're coming at it from opposing sides. Conversations are helpful.

Edited December 8, 2020 by Belo

[Enigma]

1 hour ago, Belo said:

I don't know if it's crazy, but to take a life for such little meat is an interesting choice. I've done it once and I regret it after the meat yielded was just so small that it wasn't worth it. I try not to take a mom with fawns either, but I have and will if I need the meat. At least the fawns are likely to do ok and with the mom I get a bunch of meat. 

Interesting. What do you mean by the phrase "take a life for such little meat"? I'm assuming you mean net weight edible venison correct?

The last fawn I processed netted 24# +/- of boneless meat. It might not be worth it for you or other's to shoot a fawn for the meat but I look at it this way. End of the day I end up with 24# more than I started with that morning. If three deer walk up to me at the very same moment during the season, all other things being equal, of course I would shoot the largest body size individual deer first. Simple instinct to survive right? But if only one does and its small well I'm still shooting it.

I don't enjoy killing but I do enjoy my food security. I feel no difference between taking the lives of 10 squirrels or 50 chickens or one deer for my freezer. Whether they are big, small, run, fly, swim it makes no difference to me. I don't anthropomorphize. Once fawns are weaned they can physically survive on their own. It may be advantageous for them to be able to follow a big doe around for some time (during hunting season) but isn't biologically necessary for their survival. 

Just putting out a different perspective on it that's all. Momma deer's not going to hate you or cry when you kill her fawn. And the little button buck's not goin to start shooting up smack from the trauma of seeing his mother get hit by a car or you slamming her with a slug. Doesn't work that way lol. 

[Five Seasons]

1 hour ago, Enigma said:

Interesting. What do you mean by the phrase "take a life for such little meat"? I'm assuming you mean net weight edible venison correct?

 

I mean that a life is a life. A nice doe will net 40+lb. and as you stated a fawn ~20lb. So you'd need to shoot 2 fawns for every large doe. I can't control mother nature and what happens to fawns from cars, predators etc. but I can control when I pull the trigger. Reminding you all that I am a hunter, I'm not an anti here preaching about the life of a deer, and the time I did kill a fawn was the last hour of the last day of a bow hunt in NY after visiting from the south and yes the meat was needed and enjoyed. I think generally speaking most hunters will have opportunities other than just fawns if they put a little effort in, that's all.

[fasteddie]

4 hours ago, Hunter Wallace said:

Oh sorry fasteddie,...how about youngins?their immature deer what’s the difference.didn’t know I had to be so persice.

If you pay attention to various posts on the site , members try to inform / educate other hunters . 

p.s. it's PRECISE , not Percise and Young'uns not Youngins ........