Your answer
Leave the fawn where it is.
A doe leaves her fawn lying still in cover for most of the day and returns to nurse at dusk and dawn. The fawn has almost no scent and does not move; that combination is why it survives. A fawn found alone in the morning is a fawn where it is supposed to be.
What to do right now
- 01Walk away and keep dogs away from the area.
- 02Watch from a window at dusk if you want confirmation.
- 03If you have already picked it up, put it back within a few hours, in the same spot.
What not to do
- Do not touch, feed, or move a fawn that is lying quietly with its legs folded under it.
- Do not assume a fawn near a road is orphaned.
Change your mind if any of this is true
Any one of these changes the answer above. Call a rehabilitator instead.
- It is walking and crying continuously, or wandering in the open.
- It is lying on its side, covered in flies, or you can see ribs and hip bones.
- You have found the dead doe.
Get professional help
Tell us where you are — your state, then your county — and we will list the people licensed to take it there, nearest to you first. Rehabilitators are licensed by their own state, which is why we ask.
Understand the animal
Knowing why this happens is what makes the next one easier to read.