CLOSE CALL

 During the first few days of having Lexi I made dozens of phone calls seeking advice from Licensed Wildlife Rehabers.
Each of them (all out of state) strongly recommended that I not call MA Environmental Police. It seems that Mass has no Licensed or approved (officially) Fawn rehabbers and that their policy, especially with orphaned bucks is to put them down. One of those first calls I made proved to be almost fatal.
In early July while mowing the field I noticed two blacked out SUV’s pull into my driveway and observed two armed and uniformed officers exit the vehicles and summon me out of the field. I complied and as I rode up to the officers they wasted no time in asking me where the fawn was. I explained to them, having prepared for this day, that the fawn had been returned to it’s Mom on the third day after the rescue. They pressed for the “story” and explanation of the return.
I was very convincing. Never-the-less I had to sit there and get a fifteen minute lecture about the law, fines, and potential jail sentence for keeping wildlife! I wasn’t amused by this. They wanted access to the barn for proof the deer was no longer here. Afterall, who would keep a deer in their house. I declined, stating that my Lawyer and good friend has always advised me to NEVER permit access into a dwelling by law enforcement without a warrant. Now I had them focused where I wanted them. They said it would be impossible to “close” the investigation without seeing the Barn. OK I said, I’ll make the exception. We entered the Barn when instantly both officers were charged by my 100lb Doberman! Case closed, No Fawn could survive in the presence of such a dog!
I must mention their final question……”Of all the calls you made regarding the rescue, why didn’t you call us?”
Well I said, Because all the out of state Rehabers I spoke to told me MA has no Licensed Rehabers and the fawn would be destroyed without question. “We wouldn’t do that” said one of the officers. Ok I said, what would you do then? That question never got an answer. It was clear Lexi would remain in jeopardy and we had to protect him as well as raise him. In fairness to the Officers I got a sense that they would preferred to have had better answers regarding state policy. Just doing their job but not having to like all of it. 

 Lexi spent the entire summer feasting on fresh fruit, vegetables, and gallons of Day One Fawn Milk Replacer. By August he is as tall as Kalo the Doberman and weighs in at almost 80 lbs. He spends hours laying in the garden, running around the pool and still trying to get Kalo to play like a Deer. On a typical afternoon Mom returns from work, walks onto the back deck and calls “Lexi”. Here he comes, trotting to Mom with his tail wagging, and his head swaying. Mom is always greeted with kisses and head rubs. Lexi. attaches himself to her as they make their way into the kitchen. Lexi stands in front of the frig and when opened he thrusts his head into the shelves in search of the blueberries and strawberries. He will remove the bags of fruit, toss them on the floor and then go back to the frig to leave nothing behind. Lexi is now gentle and affectionate, he’s with Mom and nothing can be better than this. He knows the pink Bottle is next. Mom sits in a chair with a warmed bottle and Lexi pushes his nose onto Mom’s shoulder and vocalizes  with low, soft, almost “sheep” sounds.The all important cuddling begins along with Mom grooming Lexi and cleaning his eyes with a warm cloth. It’s Lexi heaven and the rest of us have learned the importance of these exchanges and give them their space. The feeding is always concluded with Lexi reaching to Mom’s face for a few kisses. Outside now for the Pee Pee Dance!
Deer will urinate onto their hind legs where scent glands are located between their knees. They rub their knees together tottering back and forth as they distribute their scent onto the ground. Very entertaining. Kalo immediately walks over to the spot, lifts his leg, and he too places his scent for all interested parties.

It’s fall now and the diet shifts to Oatmeal and nuts. Lexi is now taller than Kalo and has easily reached over 100lbs. He looks more like a yearling than a fawn. Spots are gone and noticeable muscles ripple through his hindquarters.
He’s been clearing the four foot fence with ease now since late July, enters the field to graze, disappears for one to several hours into the woods, and returns late afternoon for fresh fruit and a bottle from Mom. Lexi has had several encounters with a small herd of Does, yearlings, and fawns. Among them is a large beautiful doe who is VERY tolerant of  Lexi’s rookie antics. Who is she, and why is she so patient with him whereas the other does chase him away repeatedly?

Through November Lexi is leaving for long periods now and has even spent several nights in the woods. Sleepless nights for us, but he would always return in the am………….standing in front of the slider waiting for Mom and breakfast.
Several times we tried to introduce larger bottles and nipples especially for feeding fawns. Lexi would have none of it! If it wasn’t his pink bottle with his baby nipple he would head butt it and walk away……..regardless of how hungry he was.
It’s January now. Lexi is a permanent member of that same herd. That special Doe has taken him in and Lexi may have rediscovered his real Mom. Lexi’s last visit into the house was 12/23. He ate fruit and nuts then shared his last Bottle with
Mom. It’s Jan 8 now and Lexi will not approach the house or Barn. On 12/27 Lexi returned in the early evening with the Doe. He stood in the middle of the field staring at the house while the Doe slipped into the tree line. I watched as my wife approached him. He greeted her with tons on affection and together they played, romped, and cuddled. Lexi would not follow her to the house. As my wife left the field…….the Doe emerged from the trees, walked up to Lexi who was fixated on the house. They touched noses then together slowly walked across the field into the woods.Two nights later Lexi returned to the field and waited for my wife. Together they made their way to the Barn. It seemed that this was a moment of decision for Lexi. Lexi was at his crossroad.