Rehabing a fawn is almost an impossible undertaking. Studies with radio collars indicate the survival rate of released fawns beyond 100 days is 4%. Coyotes account for almost 60% of fatalities, starvation, disease, and accidents account for the balance.
Why is Lexi such a rare exception? Her are my thoughts.....
Even at two days of age, a fawn carried in the mouth of a Coyote for 75 yards will always know that a coyote is to be avoided at all costs. Secondly, when Mom could not return because the coyote lingered for days in search of Lexi, his scent remained in the air at all times. Mom knew he was alive, this was her territory, and she would have his scent for all the months to come. Lexi too, would know Mom was near. I believe the bond was never broken. Mom would eventually begin passing through with her other fawn and often pause to stare at the fenced back yard. Several attempts to release Lexi failed early on as Mom would not approach the fenced area. We agreed that releasing Lexi without knowing for sure could be a death sentence. If it wasn't Mom Lexi would have certainly been rejected and left to fend for himself.
Lexi decided to teach us how he should be raised. In the house he chose his sleeping area, made it clear which fruit he would eat, insisted on practice hiding in the garden, and chose my Doberman as his playmate, ignoring our female lab, and insisting the sliding door be left open at all times.
At two months of age he was fully bonded with my wife but began distancing himself from the rest of us. We gave him his space.
My wife would return home from work and Lexi would literally bound from the garden and run to her like a puppy. Lexi showed no interest in humans other than my wife.
At three to four months, the age a rehaber would release fawns, Lexi was hopping the fence to venture into the back field. My wife would often join him and together they would run, play, and take walks into the woods. At four months Lexi would stay out late, sometimes until 11 or 12pm before returning home for the evening. Not long after this began we would have to go find him in the woods or deep into the field.
At 4 1/2 months Lexi would leave for hours and return in the evening accompanied by another fawn or two. He had found some friends and they were teaching him all they knew. At five months, a herd of deer consisting of three does and two fawns came into the field during the day. Lexi was over the fence in a flash and into the middle of the herd within seconds. He greeted the two fawns, only to be chased away several times by two of the does.
The third Doe, very big and rust colored stood still and tolerated Lexi as he approached her playfully. THis was the key to Lexi's success. Mother or not, Lexi had been accepted by a very dominate and experienced doe. For three more weeks Lexi would join them when they entered the field and hang out with the fawns and the Rust Doe.
When they moved on Lexi would stay behind and eventually return to his back yard. Not quite ready.
At five months Lexi left with the heard for several days and returned only occasionally to visit my wife and take his pink bottle.
At 11 months now Lexi and his herd pass through only every 5-6 days. On occasion, he will come to my wife when called, they greet each other, hang out for awhile, then he returns to the woods.
Lexi is a Deer. He was fortunate to have the resources necessary to succeed, the determination to use them, and the guidance of that beautiful Rust colored doe.
Lexi succeeded not because of us as there is nothing we could have provided to do so.
I admire all the wildlife rehabers who work with rescued fawns. It is a very expensive undertaking and very time consuming. Releasing a fawn at 3-4 months of age will never succeed.
Without a deer mom or Doe mentor fawn "instincts" will never trigger and they will most certainly fall prey to something in the wild. That being said, three to four months of life in the tender care of a rehaber and other fawns is better than not having lived at all.
Please donate to your local licensed Wildlife Rehabers......Lexi will love you for it.
