WV Whitetails

[WV Sawmiller]

  I went out to my burn pile to throw some limbs from last night's storm on the pile. This young doe was browsing next to it and stood there 30' away while I unloaded my limbs.


She did not seem to mind me being there but she sure gave Sampson the stink-eye which told me she had a fawn close by. I took a stroll under a power line and over to my neighbor's cross fence at the gate we have there so my horse can pass freely to both pastures.

Hiding under a rose bush I finally spotted this little guy. I'd say it was 2-3 weeks old. I called my wife to come see it and get a picture and I walked around checking to see if there was a twin nearby but did not see another. Sampson walked within 3-4 feet of this fawn several times and never smelled it. Several minutes later my wife finally arrived and about the time she spotted the fawn she said the sun was at the wrong angle then it jumped it, ran through the bars of the gate and into the weeds in my neighbor's pasture. We did not see where it went although I am sure it was not far and we could never find it again. 

   I've been seeing the doe in that area almost every day but this was the first time I've see the fawn.

[Walnut Beast]

Very nice 👍 

[thecfarm]

A very good find!!!!

[WV Sawmiller]

  Yes, and a very difficult one. They curl up in a very small bundle and are very hard to spot so you have to check very, very carefully. It helps when you know the kind of places they like to hide and often they will return to a favorite spot so it is easier to find them next time.

[Larry]

This one has twins, but I can't get them all in the picture as they refuse to group up.  I took her picture yesterday evening while she was watching the twins play.  Tonight I changed my position to get them all together but they were a no show.

[Walnut Beast]

Keep trying! I want to see her with the twins!

[WV Sawmiller]

   I walked out to the barn about 7:00 pm yesterday and the young doe was between my access road and my pasture fence munching on overgrown weeds there. I walked within 30' of her and she just watched and never ran. She just gave me a passing glace but gave Sampson a real steady and threatening glare. He's not much bigger than her fawn but I guess she considers him a bigger threat than me. I worked at the barn an hour or so and came back and she was till in the pasture 70-80 yards from the house and no sign of leaving.

I saw/You can see 2 little dark dots on the fawns head in the original picture that I think are the spots his antlers will come through so I assume it is a little buck.

[Poquo]

Spotted this fawn hiding in a neighbors wood pile.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I'm glad you told me he was there or I probably never would have spotted him.

[Poquo]

I didn't want to get to close and spook him.

[samandothers]

Recently I was bush hogging in Va.  I jumped a fawn out of a group of white pines where I was shreading some branches.  This was near the house.  Later in early evening while sitting on the screen porch enjoying a beverage of choice a heavy down pour came up.  About 200' from where I had jumped the fawn it came out of some woods just a fussing.  It was bleating to beat the band.  It ran back down to where it had been.  I assume it was the first rain it had experienced, and it was not happy and wanted mama!

[WV Sawmiller]

  Yeah, you have to wonder how wildlife think and will react to a new experience like that.

   I was deer hunting on Ft. Benning one weekend and the area next to where I was hunting was in use for high speed jets at very low levels dropping bombs with very loud, earth shattering impacts and large mushrooms of dirt thrown up. There was nowhere for deer in the area to avoid the noise and unless a bomb exploded right next to them I assume they just froze otherwise they would have been running willy-nilly everywhere which I did not see. I've been there near a railroad through the base when a loud train came through for several minutes. Shortly thereafter several deer came out to feed so evidently they were used to it.

   I remember reading where they had a freak snow storm in south Ga where they never get snow and hunters did some man-drives and killed some very big deer who were exposed and could be seen for long distances. The deer were not used to the snow and were easily rattled and ran right out into the path of the hunters. They had never seen anything like that in their lifetime.

   We have 1-2 big healthy does coming out above the house about 80 yards away. Often they stop and drink in the old bathtub I use for the horse water tank. I am not seeing the fawns who are nearby. In a few weeks they will be trailing along with their moms.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I started out towards the barn to open the gate this morning and heard something in the bushes above me. I looked up and spotted a fawn a little bigger than Sampson (About a month old I'd guess) running along the fence trying to get through the wire into the pasture. He'd run a few feet then try again kind of like a chicken with his head in a fence. It would have been easy to capture it but I did not want to scare it any more or cause it to hurt itself. It finally found a low spot under the fence and scooted under and up the hill.

 I don't know if this is the same one I photographed earlier or another. No doubt the doe was close by too. I don't know what spooked him as I'd never have known he was there if he had not moved. Sampson watched but did not make any move to chase it.

[WV Sawmiller]

  Well, it was about 9:45 p.m and my wife and I heard a goshawful snorting/wheezing in or across from the front yard. She evidently was not familiar with an old doe "sneezing" to warn her young and others around so we walked on the porch and she heard it call several more times. She was in my neighbor's pasture. We could not see her eyes shining for the foliage. This one did it a few more times after we came back in the house. I don't know where the fawn is but it is close by and so is something else she does not like.