We as hunters tend to focus our attention on the males of the species we hunt. Think about it; bucks sport antlers that we consider trophies. Tom turkeys hold beards, fans, and spurs that we dream about. In the duck hunting world, the drakes of many species are considered the prettier bird to most hunters. So, in this issue I want to talk about does and their fawns. Fawns are overlooked and not discussed as much as they should be in my opinion. Below are facts obtained from hours of research, reading Dr. Leonard Lee Rue III’s book Whitetail Savvy, and many other accredited works about deer and deer hunting.

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• Fawns are typically born from April-July

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• Does create a birthing territory for themselves to make sure that they are the only ones involved in the fawn’s life. Does will even drive away their yearlings, allowing them to rejoin the family about three weeks after the fawns are born

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• Does giving birth for the first time almost always give birth to a single fawn, but after that twins are pretty normal

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• Fawns are born with soft cartilage tips to prevent puncturing the doe when born. These tips wear off once the fawn walks

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• Does will begin the birthing process laying down, but once the fawn is about halfway or a little further out the doe will stand, allowing the fawns weight to do the rest

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• The ears on a fawn are typically the first thing they can move on their own. However, within 10 minutes they are on their feet trying to stand, succeeding within 20

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• Does will hide their fawns, in separate locations if there is more than one, then bed 400-600 feet away from their fawns to keep predators away from them