It's obviously that time of year in the Ozarks where the whitetail does are having their fawns. In the past week alone I've seen a dozen or does with their fawns.

Unfortunately, this one didn't make it past a week or two. When we're not home we keep our border collie, Champ, in a pen. She's always glad to see us when we got home, but this afternoon she was pitching a fit when I got out of the car. I went and opened the gate and she immediately ran out and made a bee line out to the edge of the pasture about 50 yards behind the barn. She zeroed in a area of about knee high grass and barked and barked, and then looked to see if I was coming, then barked some more. Kind of reminded me of a Lassie movie.

Walked out there and found this quite heathy looking, but dead, whitetail fawn. My investigation indicates it must have run headlong into the chainlink fence and broken it's neck. I suspect something must have spooked or chased it and it's mother. Champ must have seen the whole thing and was waiting until I got home to go investigate.

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Oh, sorry about that. I hate to see dead babies.

Today I came out of retirement for the day. Pulled into the company lot and in the front lawn (about 100 yards square) there was a mother deer and her twin fawns. Cute little things. So instead of going into the building, I sat in my jeep and watched. They sure were cute. And bouncy. So much energy they had to burn it off. If one step was adequate, they'd run in a circle 3 times and take 30 jumps. I may not have time to do the things I need to do, but I've got time to watch baby animals play.

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Dick Burg

They freak me out grazing ten feet off the interstate with cars whizzing by them. The South is a little thick in certain areas with deer and hogs. I'm actually more scared of being attacked by hogs in the woods than gators, bears, mountain lions, or whatever. They get unnaturally large here in North Florida / South Georgia. But the deer aren't so big.

Hey Faulkner,
I live here in the Missouri Ozarks, not too far from West Plains, Mo. and there are lots of fawns here too. My wife and I live way the hell out in the boonies and we have watched several generations of deer bringing their offspring out here to eat the corn and all grain that we feed them. A doe with a long scar on her shoulder has been around here for about 4 years and usually always has twins. They are fun to watch and photograph. My dogs, both Labs, do not even look at them when they are around, maybe it was something I said. There are always a few that get killed in the hay fields this time of year and the Mexican turkeys, AKA buzzards, have a field day, no pun intended.
The babies are something to look out for on the highway around here but thankfully I don't have to get out there on the hardtop very often. At least on the dirt roads I can drive slowly without holding up the speed demons. Sorry about the dead one, and that is a very pretty dog you have. Looks smart to me.
have a good one,
gordon

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better have that checked

Thanks for that line. You can consider it stolen!

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Dick Burg

Hey Gordon - we're the same way with the whitetail population around here in that we see so many we don't hardly get excited about them anymore. The young ones, though, are different. They're fun to watch.

Here's a picture from a game camera I put in my front yard just before this last Christmas. I placed it on a tree looking back towards the house and then threw out a couple of handfulls of corn, they didn't waste any time eating that up.




Our border collie is generally about as impressed when the deer are around as your labs. She used to try and sneak up on them to 'herd' them like sheep, but since the deer don't usually cooperate she's stopped trying. She will chase a frisbee until your arm is tired of throwing it, though.

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That is a one in a million pic. You have one quick (camera) trigger finger.

Good dog there.

My Uncle raised a fawn with a German Sheppard puppy after his mother was killed by a hunter. The deer stayed behind a low fence that surrounded the property at his home. Naturally, people would stop to see the beautiful deer and some would be temped to reach across the fence to try and pet her. BIG MISTAKE! That Sheppard would come out of no where and almost take their arms off.
The were the best of friends their whole lives together.

Early hay mowing usually misses the new fawn crop. Delayed mowing this spring resulted in more of the little ones lying still in the heavy grass. Now they are big enough to jump and run from the mower.
They seem to be abundant this spring. I just planted some soybeans to keep them happy.
It is dry here--June total is .4 inches. Heavy rains have come within ten miles several times. April and May were very wet here in SW Missouri.

They've been popping up around here for a couple of weeks also:

http://fototime.com/49CC1B92FF1EDD2/standard.jpg

This is the mother of one that had just literally kicked my Golden Retriever as the fawn ran off. She seemed to be standing there asking me if I wanted some!

http://fototime.com/C9E64AF481A3EEF/standard.jpg

Tortoises are on the move here also:

http://fototime.com/4C7A7AFF31E4A4E/standard.jpg

They've been popping up around here for a couple of weeks also:



This is the mother of another one that had just literally kicked my Golden Retriever as the fawn ran off. She seemed to be standing there asking me if I wanted some!



Tortoises are on the move here also:

I live between a state park and a national wildlife area. The damn things are so thick it is ridiculous. Killed a 130# doe with my F-250 yesterday. Cute my foot, they are dangerous and expensive. We average one member of my family hitting one per year. Record so far is two in one month. Very expensive. Fortunately the only damage yesterday was a slight dent in the bumper, and a destroyed NRA license plate. I don't think the plate holder was destroyed, but it was slightly damaged.

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