Ask The Biologist

How Old?

How Old?

By Bob Humphrey

How old must a fawn be to survive without its mother?

Question:  In late July a mature doe was killed on the highway near my property. Since then I have observed a doe fawn alone around my house. I saw it in mid-September, and it runs from our movement and the dog and seems skittish. How old must a fawn be to survive without its mother? — Chris B.

Answer:  You might have answered your own question without realizing it. The longer a fawn remains with its mother within its first year of life, the greater its chances of survival. In its first few months the fawn is entirely dependent on its mother for nourishment, not to mention protection and learning to avoid danger.

Weaning generally occurs between four and six months. During this time, the fawn’s diet shifts gradually from milk to plant foods. They might still nurse right into hunting season, however. In fact, biologists often look for the presence of milk in hunter-killed does as an indication they had at least one nursing fawn.

Eventually, a fawn reaches a point where it could survive without milk, although it might still nurse regularly. Precisely when that occurs can vary with circumstances, location and even individual deer. The greater the proportion of plant food in their diet, the higher the likelihood a fawn could survive without milk.

Without knowing when the rut occurs in your area, it’s hard to determine how old the fawn was in late July. Some does come into estrus as much as a month before peak rut, and it’s possible your deer was born a month earlier than its cohorts. It might have been only two or three months old when orphaned. Regardless, it seems to have made it through its most critical period of life.

Copyright 2024 by Buckmasters, Ltd.

Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd