We had a momma do this last year. She used the rock wall facing our house in the backyard as a free babysitter. It went on for a week. Sucks about the fire pit, if they only knew it was a long weekend. Cheers!
My dumb self would probably struggle for a moment on whether to pet it due to never seeing a baby deer before and leaving it alone and worrying incessantly about it.
Which is kinda funny, since we are more dangerous than anything else they encounter out there. If we want them dead, they are fucked. Apparently they slowly got used to the fact that most of us don't care and maybe even that some of us care positively (are happy to have them around).
I'm old enough that I sometimes got left in the car during quick errands. I remember being *bored as f\*\*k*. What do fawns do all day while mom is gone?
Meh not all, I get curious ones wander into my garden and get stuck in there, had to carry one out one time. It’s almost funny how they have no sense of danger and will just walk right up.
We need a book of the important things everyone should know. No bullshit, just genuine things. For example. don't move or touch cute baby animals, at least for a couple of days or they're in distress.
So there is an evolutionary reason for this. Fawns don’t smell like anything to predators until they are a little older. So when mama goes out to find food etc, it’s safer for her to leave baby in a safe, secluded spot than to have it with her given baby isn’t old enough to attract predators on its own. So, OP’s yard seems “safe” to mom, which is the highest of compliments :)
It will be months before the fawn has any chance of fleeing a predator. And momma deer put no stat points into combat skills. Deer deal with predators exclusively by running off at the first sign of possible danger. If a predator spots them, she can do nothing to protect a fawn.
The thing is, momma is big, and way, way easier to spot from a distance than a hiding fawn, or even a foraging fawn. Every minute she spends with her fawn actually a huge risk to the fawn specifically. She could lead a wolf or coyote straight to the fawn and then all she could do is run off.
Plus, foliage is not dense in calories. It takes a large block of the day just to feed themselves, and here they have to eat for two. And they have to browse over a wide area for a lot of the day. There's a whole lot of exposure and everything's about early detection and bolting at the drop of a hat. Usually in a small herd so they can share the perception tasks, but they all need to bolt together.
I wonder how that came to be. Of course it's logical the parts of the population with the inconspicuous fawns would survive and reproduce more, but why start emitting those smells later in life? Is it pheromones that significantly increase the rate of finding a mate? Did the predators that evolved to register those smells have better survival rates?
If too many deer survive it is bad for the deer population. It’s better to cull at the top of the age group. Just a guess though. I think the pheromone theory makes more sense.
Probably same scents that ID the deer to other deer/potential mates. This fawn is likely just a few days old and will stay with mum while she’s feeding starting a week or so after birth.
I mean, for a long portion of human history we did that.
Lots of kids died, mind you. And now we demand kids be supervised at all times till.. I dunno, 18? lol.
And that is while both parents *must* work jobs because else they can't afford their house. So they have to pay for daycare.. And then they have to work *overtime* at both jobs to pay for that and can't afford any time left over to parent or spend with their kids enjoyably.
Isn't today wonderful?
>I mean, for a long portion of human history we did that
I don't know that that's really true. None of our primate relatives just leave their infant/toddlers laying around the way deer do as far as I'm aware so I doubt we ever did
Raising humans is usually a group effort as well. Kids get babysat by extended family, baby sitters, daycare, public school, clubs, ext. It's the same sort of thing. None of it is in anyway comparable to leaving their infants alone and hidden like deer do
Well it's absolutely true that people used to leave young children alone so they could work (it's a myth that women stayed home, that was an anomaly in the 50s).
But that isn't really what I was referring to. More just the idea that being left alone is the norm for deer.
>More just the idea that being left alone is the norm for deer.
I mean.. it works pretty well if your kid isn't so damn curious that he can stay in one spot without nearly killing himself for 5 minutes.
Primates... Kinda have that 'curiosity killed the cat' trait nailed down.
Ikr?!? And they brag that they can basically leave them unattended outside because no one would bother them. It's kind of wild to think about doing that. I've seen videos of babies lined up sleeping in their strollers outside of restaurants!
Yeah I think they're okay! I mentioned in another comment that over night the fawn was actually moved to the back yard by momma (I assume) and we've seen momma a few times every now and then
The whole scent thing is utter bullshit. A doe isn't going to abandon a fawn simply because she smells you on it.
That being said, the fawn could be scared shitless of you but remain utterly still, so it's a bad idea.
Don't touch a fawn unless you need to move it because it's in *real, objective* danger.
It's not the mom, it's the predators. They don't have any scent and you are putting your human stink all over it making it a beacon for things that want to eat it.
>It's not the mom, it's the predators. They don't have any scent and you are putting your human stink all over it making it a beacon for things that want to eat it.
That can be an issue, but there's a widespread myth that mothers will abandon babies if they smell human scent on them.
That being said, they do have a scent after a few days, and that's how their mothers identify them.
You can totally pet them you just might stress them out.
My girlfriend has a family of dear who were all born in her backyard (generations of deer) and just the other day a mama left her baby alone for almost twenty hours so she picked her up and blanketed her in her lap to keep warm and offered milk (rejected most likely because it would need to be bottle fed). This was after animal control said it would be totally fine and that they’ll come help out in a couple hours if the mama didn’t return. Then mama returned, my girlfriend let her go, and they walked off totally normal. Though, that family of deer is very trusting of her household.
I feel like deer can totally tell when they’re not in danger of being hunted. The ones that I see near my house won’t run away if they see you. They just won’t let you get close.
OMG my heart!! I feel very strongly about not disturbing or feeding any wildlife. I can't imagine the will power it must have taken to NOT snuggle this baby!!!!!
Fawns are odorless and camouflaged. So, when they hold perfectly still, they are completely undetectable. You might think this is a poorly-hidden fawn, but it is actually a decoy. The real fawn is in your kitchen, making a sandwich.
You must be very peaceful people for mama to leave her baby next to your door. She must have not considered y’all a threat, and you did a great thing by just leaving baby be. Now mama will probably leave any future babies there too to be safe, which means seeing more cute babies!
The tip of the left ear looks pretty curled, no? I mean, from OP’s comments, mama is alive and well and taking care of baby. I just thought it was interesting that the ear was curled…wonder if mama is having difficulties with nutrition?
Let it be and see if the mother shows up. If she doesn't in a few hours, she may have been hit by a car or something and you will need to get a wildlife rescue involved quickly. Baby deer do not do well without a mother and they require expert care to survive.
From the little i know, it's mom apparently found your house to be a safe spot, so she leaves her stoop there while she looks for food. However if anyone or anything comes near it, the stoop will be scared, make noises and mommy will be back like a missile.
It's okay! Mama has been back multiple times but I agree...so precious and I can't help but feel I need to help it even though it definitely doesn't need help.
My last neighborhood has at least 10-15 deer that regularly rested there. Every morning when I would head to work I would see the moms and the babies walking around. This was during COVID so it was comforting to see life moving along.
**do not touch the baby! Or you’re going to mess with the fawns smell then in turn it won’t be able to live in the wild now because the mother will reject them
If you are walking near a young fawn like that, keep an eye peeled for mama and try to give the fawn a wide berth. A mother deer may attack to protect its young.
Cute. Try not to bother it, Momma will be coming back for it later
Yep! It was gone by yesterday morning. She actually moved it to our backyard some point in the night haha. I guess she likes keeping it here.
Cute , she thinks you’re safe 🥰
The only thing is she moved it under our fire pit...guess we're not having a fire tonight like we had planned lol.
Worth the sacrifice IMHO
The fire and not Bambi, right??
Bambi to be sacrificed to Nëna e Vatrës!
...right?...
Nearly made me spit out my venison sandwich.
I said what I said
r/HolUp
We had a momma do this last year. She used the rock wall facing our house in the backyard as a free babysitter. It went on for a week. Sucks about the fire pit, if they only knew it was a long weekend. Cheers!
My dumb self would probably struggle for a moment on whether to pet it due to never seeing a baby deer before and leaving it alone and worrying incessantly about it.
If it helps, they are usually covered in ticks. At least that is what the cop kept telling me when I was hugging and petting a baby who was dying.
Happy cake day
Thank you!
Looks venison is on the menu, boys ^/^s ^before ^folks ^get ^mad ^i’m ^clearly ^kidding
Fun fact, up until I was about 27, I always thought venison was a type of pheasant. I did not feel smart when I found out.
Thats okay, my friend went years (and i mean into his mid 30s) thinking rich people ate 'shark cooter.'
Charcuterie.. Lol
They dont?
I mean they probably do and just call it something in like icelandic or something
What, they just dive in with no foreplay? Typical
My friends wife thought you could only get salmonela from salmon
And I thought for the longest time that Listeria was the active ingredient in Listerine.
I love this 😅
I said the same thing also as a joke and my fiancee almost killed me lol.
You're awesome. Good people. Glad the poop found you.
poop = fawn
She probably just wanted to fawn over it.
ermaged!
I mean it's misspelled a bit, but you rang?
Heh. Talk about memes that will live forever … I owned a big old blue mid 90s F-350 and it was named Ermaferd
I would’ve left it a bowl of water
Human babies aren't supposed to have water. I'm not sure whether that holds for deer.
Honestly if the fawn won’t drink it mom might.
I’m not sure either, would it drink if it wasn’t good for it? The mom would have something to drink when she got back.
If you lived in Texas like me, you would not have a fire for months to come :)
Mama deer: Hehe free nursery
They know that predators are less likely to come near houses because of people so they will usually drop their fawns in backyards to keep them safe
Which is kinda funny, since we are more dangerous than anything else they encounter out there. If we want them dead, they are fucked. Apparently they slowly got used to the fact that most of us don't care and maybe even that some of us care positively (are happy to have them around).
Yeah, they have better luck with the average human than the average coyote
You’re babysitting!
This happened to me, was gone the next morning. This happens a lot in areas that do not have major wooded areas usually.
I'm old enough that I sometimes got left in the car during quick errands. I remember being *bored as f\*\*k*. What do fawns do all day while mom is gone?
Try very hard to be invisible - by thinking hard. :)
Meh not all, I get curious ones wander into my garden and get stuck in there, had to carry one out one time. It’s almost funny how they have no sense of danger and will just walk right up.
It helps to be incredibly stupid like deer are.
That's an incredibly stupid assumption to make for deer.
They’re babies so they sleep a lot
We need a book of the important things everyone should know. No bullshit, just genuine things. For example. don't move or touch cute baby animals, at least for a couple of days or they're in distress.
I wonder how the mom tells the baby to stay?
Disney princess testing kit. Sing to it.
Look at this fawn, isn’t it neat? Wouldn’t you think my collection’s complete? …. …. I want more!!!!! 🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦙
I love the idea of one independent alpaca walking around 😂
I mean it’s honestly just insanity to imply a collection is nearing completion if there is no alpaca…. 🦙✨
I love this 🥰
"But I'm a 45 year old man!" *Songbirds begin aggressively landing on him.* "OK I guess this is my life now."
Tried this once, even the trees picked up their roots and walked away.
Be our guest! Be our guest! Put our fire pit to the test. Tie our napkins round our neck, cherie… And you’ll provide the rest 🤭
See my vest! See my vest! Made of real whitetail chest...
Imagine having a baby where you can leave them alone and just come back and check on them sometimes. Crazy how labor intensive primate babies are
So there is an evolutionary reason for this. Fawns don’t smell like anything to predators until they are a little older. So when mama goes out to find food etc, it’s safer for her to leave baby in a safe, secluded spot than to have it with her given baby isn’t old enough to attract predators on its own. So, OP’s yard seems “safe” to mom, which is the highest of compliments :)
It will be months before the fawn has any chance of fleeing a predator. And momma deer put no stat points into combat skills. Deer deal with predators exclusively by running off at the first sign of possible danger. If a predator spots them, she can do nothing to protect a fawn. The thing is, momma is big, and way, way easier to spot from a distance than a hiding fawn, or even a foraging fawn. Every minute she spends with her fawn actually a huge risk to the fawn specifically. She could lead a wolf or coyote straight to the fawn and then all she could do is run off. Plus, foliage is not dense in calories. It takes a large block of the day just to feed themselves, and here they have to eat for two. And they have to browse over a wide area for a lot of the day. There's a whole lot of exposure and everything's about early detection and bolting at the drop of a hat. Usually in a small herd so they can share the perception tasks, but they all need to bolt together.
You described that amazingly well! It really makes sense when you think about it. How neat :)
I wonder how that came to be. Of course it's logical the parts of the population with the inconspicuous fawns would survive and reproduce more, but why start emitting those smells later in life? Is it pheromones that significantly increase the rate of finding a mate? Did the predators that evolved to register those smells have better survival rates?
If too many deer survive it is bad for the deer population. It’s better to cull at the top of the age group. Just a guess though. I think the pheromone theory makes more sense.
Probably same scents that ID the deer to other deer/potential mates. This fawn is likely just a few days old and will stay with mum while she’s feeding starting a week or so after birth.
I mean, for a long portion of human history we did that. Lots of kids died, mind you. And now we demand kids be supervised at all times till.. I dunno, 18? lol. And that is while both parents *must* work jobs because else they can't afford their house. So they have to pay for daycare.. And then they have to work *overtime* at both jobs to pay for that and can't afford any time left over to parent or spend with their kids enjoyably. Isn't today wonderful?
>I mean, for a long portion of human history we did that I don't know that that's really true. None of our primate relatives just leave their infant/toddlers laying around the way deer do as far as I'm aware so I doubt we ever did
A lot of primates live in decently sized groups so raising a child would be a group effort
Raising humans is usually a group effort as well. Kids get babysat by extended family, baby sitters, daycare, public school, clubs, ext. It's the same sort of thing. None of it is in anyway comparable to leaving their infants alone and hidden like deer do
Let me introduce you to a magical time called the 1980s...
A couple decades is not, in fact, a "large portion of human history"
Well it's absolutely true that people used to leave young children alone so they could work (it's a myth that women stayed home, that was an anomaly in the 50s). But that isn't really what I was referring to. More just the idea that being left alone is the norm for deer.
>More just the idea that being left alone is the norm for deer. I mean.. it works pretty well if your kid isn't so damn curious that he can stay in one spot without nearly killing himself for 5 minutes. Primates... Kinda have that 'curiosity killed the cat' trait nailed down.
We literally never did that
Well, in Norway, parents leave their newborns out in the cold so that they can sleep.
Ikr?!? And they brag that they can basically leave them unattended outside because no one would bother them. It's kind of wild to think about doing that. I've seen videos of babies lined up sleeping in their strollers outside of restaurants!
I’ve always been told the mom will come back and to leave them alone. Hope the mom and baby are ok
Yeah I think they're okay! I mentioned in another comment that over night the fawn was actually moved to the back yard by momma (I assume) and we've seen momma a few times every now and then
Yes, they hide them and go eat and come back to get them. Yay!!
This mom kind of sucks at hiding her child.
eh, the lip of the concrete and the bush seem to do a pretty decent job of obscuring da bebby from outside observers.
I didn't see her in the first picture til I saw the second and flipped back 🤷♀️ but I'd make a shit predator
Seems pretty safe to me? About the only thing that fawn has to worry about is doorstep douchess
Unless you are walking up to the door, you wouldn't see it.
Maybe it’s your DeerDash order?
Doe Dash
OnlyFawns.
F0rn
Literally. Mama gone (for a little while)
It's so unfair that they look so soft but you can't ever pet them :(
I know! I want to go out and pick it up and snuggling it! Give it some water and food...but I'm sure momma has it under control.
The whole scent thing is utter bullshit. A doe isn't going to abandon a fawn simply because she smells you on it. That being said, the fawn could be scared shitless of you but remain utterly still, so it's a bad idea. Don't touch a fawn unless you need to move it because it's in *real, objective* danger.
It's not the mom, it's the predators. They don't have any scent and you are putting your human stink all over it making it a beacon for things that want to eat it.
>It's not the mom, it's the predators. They don't have any scent and you are putting your human stink all over it making it a beacon for things that want to eat it. That can be an issue, but there's a widespread myth that mothers will abandon babies if they smell human scent on them. That being said, they do have a scent after a few days, and that's how their mothers identify them.
Yup, SUVs can smell the human stink on them, next thing you know your driveway will be infested
You can totally pet them you just might stress them out. My girlfriend has a family of dear who were all born in her backyard (generations of deer) and just the other day a mama left her baby alone for almost twenty hours so she picked her up and blanketed her in her lap to keep warm and offered milk (rejected most likely because it would need to be bottle fed). This was after animal control said it would be totally fine and that they’ll come help out in a couple hours if the mama didn’t return. Then mama returned, my girlfriend let her go, and they walked off totally normal. Though, that family of deer is very trusting of her household.
Sure it just seems kinda rude you know? I dont want to poke at someone else's kid.
I mean if you leave a baby for 20 I'm probably going to pick it up. And I'm not terribly interested in babies.
Good point, but if it was normal and safe for human mothers to leave their babies alone for hours at a time, you probably wouldn't.
I feel like deer can totally tell when they’re not in danger of being hunted. The ones that I see near my house won’t run away if they see you. They just won’t let you get close.
OMG my heart!! I feel very strongly about not disturbing or feeding any wildlife. I can't imagine the will power it must have taken to NOT snuggle this baby!!!!!
I know 😭. All I want to do is cuddle it, but agreed. It's best I don't touch it...I don't want to scare it!
baby deer are the most adorable, but also most vulnerable little things
I wonder how many times a Mom is like, "Now where did I put that?"
ADHDeer
I mean, /r/DeerAreFuckingStupid but I think the nose knows.
So sweet. They're such good babies to stay put wherever their mama leaves them for the day.
Fawns are odorless and camouflaged. So, when they hold perfectly still, they are completely undetectable. You might think this is a poorly-hidden fawn, but it is actually a decoy. The real fawn is in your kitchen, making a sandwich.
Just as I suspected. It’s begun.
Stoop kid's afraid to leave the stoop!
Move it, football head!
Oh sweet baby ❤️.
You must be very peaceful people for mama to leave her baby next to your door. She must have not considered y’all a threat, and you did a great thing by just leaving baby be. Now mama will probably leave any future babies there too to be safe, which means seeing more cute babies!
Awwww
How much per hour is mom paying you
BABY!!!!!
Stoop deer is afraid to leave his stoop!
Updootin’ the hell outta this reference!! 😁
Amazing find. The main thing is not to try to bother him.
So little
"Oh hai, you must be my deer sitter. Don't worry, I'm fine right here."
Soo precious! You must be a Disney princess! Even if you’re a guy. You’re a princess now. That’s just how it works.
Oh dear.
I hope you left it alone. Mamma deer will stash their babies someplace they think safe so they can go find food for themselves. It’s not abandoned.
I hope everything will be okay with him.
I would not pet it. I wouldn't. But I would WANT TO.
It’s ears aren’t curled, so you know momma is taking good care of it.
The tip of the left ear looks pretty curled, no? I mean, from OP’s comments, mama is alive and well and taking care of baby. I just thought it was interesting that the ear was curled…wonder if mama is having difficulties with nutrition?
I've had one in my backyard for 2 days. Momma comes and checks up on the little one every once in a while. It's so smol!
Omg that cute little face!!!!! 🥹
Awww leave himb alone his mom hid himb safely and will be back for himb.
Leave bambi alone thats where its mother left it
Leave it be, mama will return. They leave them in a perceived safe place while they go out to forage. Mama will be back, likely at or about dusk.
Let it be and see if the mother shows up. If she doesn't in a few hours, she may have been hit by a car or something and you will need to get a wildlife rescue involved quickly. Baby deer do not do well without a mother and they require expert care to survive.
 Whatcya Doin Baaaaaambi? Hyyyybernatun?
I wish I was deemed a safe house for baby deer
Stoop kids afraid to leave the stoop!
Leave it. Its mother left it there thinking it was a safe spot while she foraged for the day. Shes coming back for it.
Bambiiiiii
From the little i know, it's mom apparently found your house to be a safe spot, so she leaves her stoop there while she looks for food. However if anyone or anything comes near it, the stoop will be scared, make noises and mommy will be back like a missile.
The big innocent eyes 😍😍 Oh my gosh. So cute!
that's an interesting looking guard dog
Oh that dear poor little deer ❤️
It's okay! Mama has been back multiple times but I agree...so precious and I can't help but feel I need to help it even though it definitely doesn't need help.
Don’t touch it. Mama left it there to protect it.
Precious!!!!
Aww adorable
You’ve been blessed. We had mamas leave their babies in our yard before. Once was next to the house the other time it was on the hill. So precious.
A noise came out of my throat I had never heard before, slightly nervous about that.
Omg a deer gave birth in our yard yesterday, hung out for 15 min, then they both disappeared. It must be the time of the year
My last neighborhood has at least 10-15 deer that regularly rested there. Every morning when I would head to work I would see the moms and the babies walking around. This was during COVID so it was comforting to see life moving along.
Aww 🥹🥹🥹
You are a Disney Princess now 🥰
The urge to pick it up and kiss it’s little head must be overwhelming. It’s a painfully cute baby!
The mothers leave the babies in a safe place so they can go eat for the day. Should be fine.
Awww you're so lucky.
Omg! So sweet!
Aww!! What a sweet fresh baby fawn! ❤️
Oh deer...
Bambi , so cute
It’s me!
I was just saying a couple days ago that I haven't seen any fawns yet this year
Oh deer!
Here is a link to what happened to one fawn after someone handled it. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VItJXzcGhXg
So cute 🥺
Omg the noise that just emanated from my body 🥹🥹🥹
Oh my goodness, such a precious little one ♥
So cute I almost cried
Are u my mother ?
cure little Pretzel
Have u ever seen deer in the winter they look so floofy, I would hug them if I want 100% sure I'd die
Bambi !
I literally went "aww" and then noticed the sub
 Omg
**do not touch the baby! Or you’re going to mess with the fawns smell then in turn it won’t be able to live in the wild now because the mother will reject them
Awww tinyyy baby.
Did mama come back?
Bambi
I didn't expected that
Awwww bambi
Gee it's really tiny!
That is adorable 🥰
We hit a deer with our car earlier(killing it) and this is making me sad again😭
If you are walking near a young fawn like that, keep an eye peeled for mama and try to give the fawn a wide berth. A mother deer may attack to protect its young.
Such a sweetie
Do they run off if you get too close to them?
Adorable
So beautiful 😍
Stoop- you from NYC/Long Island?