Fawn

While walking yesterday evening, I came across this doe on one of the trails. When I first saw her, she had her head down and appeared to be licking something on the ground. As I got closer, she ran on down the trail and a small fawn crept slowly into the tall grass.

The fawn froze in mid step as I approached. Then it very slowly began to lower itself into the grass.

Judging from its size, it couldn’t have been more than a couple of days old.

Once lowered completely to the ground it was so still you couldn’t even see it breathing. The rust color with light spots makes it look very much like a patch of sunlight coming through the trees.

The doe circled and kept a close eye on me while I was close to the fawn. After hoof stomping and snorting failed to move me away, she just stood quietly and waited for me to go. Once I walked away, she came back to check the fawn then went off into the trees. It’s not unusual to see does with fawns during the summer. What’s unusual is to see a doe with only one fawn.