Fawns don’t spend a lot of time with their mothers, but the time they spend is critical.
QUESTION: I’ve heard different things about harvesting a doe with fawns. Some people say the fawns will survive on their own. Others say they won’t, and they need their mother to teach them how to survive. I’d like to know if it’s okay to shoot a doe with fawns and if it makes a difference when.
ANSWER: As with most anything involving whitetails, the answer is not simple. Deer seasons everywhere are timed in such a way that a vast majority of fawns should be able to survive on their own. Strictly speaking, once a fawn is weaned, it is no longer dependent on its mother for food and is therefore capable of surviving on its own. However, it still has much to learn, particularly about avoiding danger. The more experienced mother will a) detect danger sooner and b) alert the fawn to it, then exhibit the appropriate avoidance mechanism.
By the time fall hunting season arrives, fawns should be physically and behaviorally mature enough to survive with or without parental guidance. Obviously, the later into fall they remain with their mother, the more they learn about survival. While it’s not conclusive, there is some evidence suggesting orphaned buck fawns might even do better on their own and be slightly less inclined to disperse as yearlings.
Management goals also need to be considered. If the population is dense and healthy, removing any doe won’t have much impact. If you’re trying to increase the herd, protecting mature does is often a good strategy since they tend to be the best mothers.
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