A fawn that stayed where it’s mama died

[jonkytron]

i hunt a small piece of private bordering a huge public hiking trail. deer pass thru to hide out when the public park gets busy, and I’ve taken some nice deer from there.
Last year a giant nanny doe comes to my stand alone (or so I thought) and I shot her and watched her die in 10 yards … not 1 min later I notice a small fawn come behind in her tracks and is looking over her dead body. Needless to say I was sad, as I watched that fawn stick around for another 15 min before scaring it away while climbing down.
Now.. after the season was done I put up a cell cam.. and that fawn (now a yearling) has not left that spot where she died. I have pics of her Almost everyday since I put that camera out. I’ve even seen her when scouting.
Has anyone ever seen anything like this? A fawn who never leaves the spot her mama was killed? I figured by now she’d have joined another herd, as other deer come by that camera. But she is always alone.. always there..

 

[Weldabeast]

Some of the info u can online find says a deer can/will live it's whole life within 1 square mile

 

[Nutterbuster]

My experience is that if the fawn is not weaned, it will die. If it is weaned and there is a favorable balance of predators to food, it will live.

 

[Mschmeiske]

I had a similar situation a couple years ago. I was seeing two mature does and two fawns. One day I set up to harvest a doe and the two fawns came in and then one mom, I shot her and the fawns wouldn’t leave and I never spotted the second mom. Needless to say, it made me feel pretty terrible…but, a week later, I had what I believe to be those fawns on camera with another group of deer. All five came marching by. That made me feel a little better. As stated above, some deer plate homebodies and others nomads.

 

[Hunter260]

Sooooooooo…. You have this years target deer picked out?

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I doubt it is hanging around mourning the loss of its mother (or planning a nefarious revenge on her killer!), lol. As humans. we tend to assign human like qualities (anthropomorphize) to animals. It is likely that the young deer just has everything it needs in that area and isn't getting pressured to leave.

 

[jonkytron]

I doubt it is hanging around mourning the loss of its mother (or planning a nefarious revenge on her killer!), lol. As humans. we tend to assign human like qualities (anthropomorphize) to animals. It is likely that the young deer just has everything it needs in that area and isn't getting pressured to leave.

Yeah I don’t think it was like mourning as a human. I just thought maybe it was too young to know to to go anywhere else. Maybe part of developments is learning different areas.. also I’ve heard that young fawns will join other doe groups and she hasn’t so I just found it curious. She’s literally everyday at the same place I saw her when I shot her momma

 

[jonkytron]

Sooooooooo…. You have this years target deer picked out?

Honestly.. I’m too sentimental so I think im
Gonna let her be until she’s as big as her momma was!

 

[jonkytron]

I had a similar situation a couple years ago. I was seeing two mature does and two fawns. One day I set up to harvest a doe and the two fawns came in and then one mom, I shot her and the fawns wouldn’t leave and I never spotted the second mom. Needless to say, it made me feel pretty terrible…but, a week later, I had what I believe to be those fawns on camera with another group of deer. All five came marching by. That made me feel a little better. As stated above, some deer plate homebodies and others nomads.

Yeah, this is why I thought.. she would join other deer but she’s alone everyday even though other doe groups roll thru the area.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Yeah I don’t think it was like mourning as a human. I just thought maybe it was too young to know to to go anywhere else. Maybe part of developments is learning different areas.. also I’ve heard that young fawns will join other doe groups and she hasn’t so I just found it curious. She’s literally everyday at the same place I saw her when I shot her momma

It's been theorized that deer fall into a broad range of "territoriality", sort of like people. Some like to roam far and wide and some are home bodies. It may just be that this deer is an extreme example of a home body, possibly influenced by the loss of its mother, possibly not. It may have just taken over the territory its mother occupied and doesn't want to leave the area with other deer.

 

[jonkytron]

It's been theorized that deer fall into a broad range of "territoriality", sort of like people. Some like to roam far and wide and some are home bodies. It may just be that this deer is an extreme example of a home body, possibly influenced by the loss of its mother, possibly not. It may have just taken over the territory its mother occupied and doesn't want to leave the area with other deer.

This sounds like a totally reasonable explanation. I have a lot of cameras and never saw a deer at the same place everyday.. so I found it super curious. Maybe she just decided to stick around one spot, and lets hope she brings in a big buck during the rut

 

[jonkytron]

Here she is right where her momma died

 

[NMSbowhunter]

This sounds like a totally reasonable explanation. I have a lot of cameras and never saw a deer at the same place everyday.. so I found it super curious. Maybe she just decided to stick around one spot, and lets hope she brings in a big buck during the rut

That's better buck bait than a corn pile!

 

[NMSbowhunter]

A friend of mine and I would often joke about how cool it would be to catch a young doe and train it to seek out bucks and bring them right in to us, like a Judas Goat. People train dogs to bring in coyotes also. It's not too far-fetched an idea. I'd never do it because I would consider it cheating, but it was fun to talk about.

 

[MattMan81]

Last year the doe I took had two little ones with her. If I hunted with in 200rds of there I would see them. I think they just didn't know any better. They were probably born there. May die there. When I went down there last week I spotted some deer right there when i got there. Probably them.

 

[GeoFish]

Dont hate me but this is why I do not shoot any does until December.

 

[jonkytron]

Last year the doe I took had two little ones with her. If I hunted with in 200rds of there I would see them. I think they just didn't know any better. They were probably born there. May die there. When I went down there last week I spotted some deer right there when i got there. Probably them.

Kind of goes with what I was thinking.. if a fawn in born later in the season, say in july/august.. come early october (when I shot that doe) that fawn is just a month or two old.. how much range did it actually see? it didnt really transition from summer, fall, spring ranges like the other deer, and learn from the herd. Maybe it just sticks to the only thing it knows? Wish I knew more about deer biology tbh...

 

[NMSbowhunter]

No hate man. I have let many a mama pass when she had young ones with her. They were old enough to make it too. I just couldn't do it. It doesn't always happen that way though. If they catch me on a dry spell. look out!

I do believe that the mamas let the little ones blunder in first and see if they get killed. I've seen them hold back and wait just to see what happens. They don't seem as concerned sometimes for their young's welfare as I give them credit for being.

 

[jonkytron]

Dont hate me but this is why I do not shoot any does until December.

I feel you. Im not usually that excited to shoot does in general, But this nanny doe was BIG. I figured I'd get my meat in the freezer and take some pressure off the rest of my season... Didnt see the fawn behind her.. but I guess thats just the way it goes sometimes.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Also, If I get one that comes in and blows and makes a scene and I have a chance to remove her, she is fair game.