Originally Posted July 2, 2017
Many of our White-Tailed Deer fawns are strong enough now to do a bit of exploring on their own. Although it sometimes looks like they’re alone, Mom usually is within several hundred feet, keeping an eye and a nose out. The doe will lick-wash her fawn not only to clean it, but to deposit on the fawn the doe’s own familiar scent by which her youngster can be tracked through the air.
Sometimes a doe will give birth to twins, which makes life difficult for her. Usually, she’ll separate the twins when they’re very young, putting them in individual nests yards apart. When they can walk and run a bit, Mom will reunite her fawns and nearly exhaust herself nursing them at least four times a day. (Brooklin, Maine)