After a gestation period of 196 to 213 days, most fawns are born in late May and into early June. As the time of birth arrives, the doe lies down. Her body strains and movements aid in her labor. In a normal birth, the forefeet of the fawn appear first, followed quickly by the head. The entire birthing time requires from 10 to 60 minutes. A doe giving birth the first time usually will have one fawn. From then on, twins will be most common. Triplets are fairly common. At birth, the weight of a fawn is about 7 pounds.Mothers vigorously lick their newborn young with their rough tongues. This washing process might imprint the doe with the particular odor of her own young, enabling her to distinguish them from other fawns. A fawn, except for the nursing time, is inactive for the first three or four days of its life. During this same time period the fawn is further protected by being odorless, or nearly so. Its spotted coat is great camouflage and enables the fawn to blend into most natural backgrounds. In addition, during the first few days of a fawn's life, the doe stays away as much as possible to prevent her own body scent from giving away the fawn's location. She does return to nurse her young up to 10 times in a 24-hour period.
JIM GILBERT
