I had a couple of close encounters with two white-tailed fawns this week. By close, I mean that in each case, I was able to approach within two feet. This is rare indeed.

The first one happened earlier this week as I drove onto our driveway/road on my way home. I saw a white-tailed doe and a small fawn with her. The fawn’s legs were rickety and I think it might have been only a few hours old. They were both standing in the middle of the road and didn’t move as I drove up.

I think the fawn couldn’t move quickly and the doe wasn’t leaving her. I stopped the car and got out. The doe moved off about 20 or 30 feet but did not run away. The fawn walked about 4 feet and into a prickly pear cactus patch and laid down!

I took this photo with my cell phone camera. The fawn is lying still and trying to look inconspicuous. I don’t think the prickly pear needles are poking it because its fur offers protection. I also don’t think it walked into the prickly pear because it would prevent a predator from going after it. I think it was just the first place it could try to hide.

I’ve seen fawns do this before. It’s their only defense mechanism. It reminds of a line in the movie A Christmas Story, after Ralphie and his brother Randy encounter some bullies – “Randy lay there like a slug! It was his only defense!”

The second close approach happened this morning. It all happened very quickly so I didn’t get any photos. I walked into the kitchen and looked outside. Gus, our Doberman Pinscher, was at the fence and had something in his mouth. He was thrashing his head about. I thought it might be a rabbit but it looked bigger. I guessed it was a fawn and ran outside and shouted at  him to drop it, which he did. Good dog! Mary helped me by taking all our dogs inside.

I walked up to the body with dread, thinking I would find a bloody, dead animal. As I got close though, I could see the fawn was breathing hard and its eyes were open. I couldn’t see any wounds or blood on it or on the ground. I wasn’t sure what to do and was about to pick it up to examine it, when it jumped up and ran off. It ran to the fence and went through the mesh in the field fence. I hope it finds its mother and makes it.

Gus is known to jump our fence and wander our property, but I don’t think he would have brought the fawn back inside. I think the fawn came into our fenced area and Gus got it. It must have happened just immediately before I saw him, because if he had been thrashing and shaking it for long, he would have broken it’s back or neck.

I know fawns are killed by predators all the time and it’s not like there’s a shortage of white-tailed deer, but I feel responsible when my dogs are the killers. I’m glad this one got away and might make it.