So there I was enjoying a quiet morning, dictating my latest blog post to Mom.  Dad was out with a friend, and Asa was downstairs binge watching Bugs Bunny cartoons.  When all of a sudden I heard this noise coming from outside.  The best I could describe it was like a goat.  We don’t have any goats in our neighborhood though, just bison, horses, cows, and chickens.  Mom told me Asa probably found a squeaky toy, and to just ignore it.  But the bleating continued.

Then the noise grew louder.  Not hearing Asa’s characteristic crashing up the stairs, I knew it wasn’t him bringing a squeaky toy to play.  Even Mom began to take notice and glanced out the window.  After a few more minutes of this mysterious noise, I couldn’t take the anticipation anymore.  So I gave her the sign that I needed to go out.  Mom happily obliged and we headed outside with Asa in tow.  That’s when the noise got even louder, and we could hear the neighbors talking in concerned tones.  Mom quickly ushered us back inside, and went to the front yard to investigate while I watched from the window.

By then the neighbors were gathering in our driveway.  That’s when we saw it.  A baby deer wandering in the road, calling for his Momma.  The poor little fawn was lost!  He was also quite young, because he was still covered in spots and didn’t know to be afraid of humans like most deer.  As one neighbor kindly directed him away from the busy road, Mom and the other neighbors discussed what to do.  One called the local police, another the animal control officer, and a third called the Maine Game Warden.  Mom called no one, because in typical fashion she grabbed her camera but not her phone.  Way to go being prepared in an emergency, Mom!  Apparently the Game Warden, of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, was the correct person to call about this frightened fawn, and they were on their way.

In the meantime, that’s when the fawn’s adventure took a wild turn.  A woman speeding up the road saw the deer, slammed on her brakes, and much to everyone astonishment started wrestling with the fawn in the road!  All the while yelling to the shocked onlookers that she raised horses and knew what to do.  Luckily though, the fawn got away uninjured, and quickly sought refuge next to the the kindly neighbor, who shielded him from the road and this misguided samaritan.  As quickly as this woman appeared, she leaped back into her car and sped off, never to be seen again.

Despite what just happened, the fawn continued to insist on heading back into the road.  Thus prompting the neighbors to look around to see if Momma Doe was hiding in the woods that line the street.  But no one saw her.  Once the fawn was safely corralled into a yard away from traffic, the neighbors started chatting about the odd events that had just unfolded in front of them.  Well would you believe they lost sight of the fawn?!  Never send a human to do a dog’s job!  From the window I watched as the fawn wandered back into the woods.  Maybe the little guy wasn’t as lost as we thought?

Eventually the Maine Game Warden arrived, and was told what unfolded.  He was pleased to hear that the fawn had wandered back into the woods.  The Game Warden explained that the young fawn probably got separated from his Momma, and got scared hence the bleating and the walking in the road.  Then the Doe got scared with all the people around…especially by the mysterious woman who gave her precious fawn a hug!  But once things quieted down, hopefully she would find her lost fawn.  However, the Game Warden added if the fawn returned to the road, continued bleating for its Mom, or looked to be in danger to call him again.  In that situation, he would take the fawn to a wildlife rehabilitation center for care.  In typical human fashion, the neighbors soon forgot about the fawn and returned to their daily routines.  But I spent the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon standing guard at my window just in case the little fawn returned to the road.  Paws crossed the family is reunited.

What I learned when dealing with a scared fawn:

1. It is perfectly natural for a fawn to be by itself in the woods.  Leave it alone.  It’s not normal for a fawn to be walking down the middle of a busy road.  Try to lure it to a safe place, but not out of the area.
2. Its mother is probably nearby, aware and attentive.  The mother will take care of it once you move away.
3. If you have handled a fawn, rub an old towel in the grass and wipe the fawn to remove human scent.  A Doe will often take back their fawn if they are returned to the original site within eight hours.
4. If a fawn appears cold, weak, thin, or injured, and its mother does not return in eight hours or so, it may truly be orphaned. In this case, call a local rehabilitator (look under “Animal” or “Wildlife” in your phone directory) or the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife for further information.
5. In an emergency, make sure human Mom grabs her phone and not her camera!  Geez, I hate being Alpha when Dad’s not home…

[Editor’s Note: Our story has a happy ending!  Last night we saw Momma Doe and her fawn together grazing in our yard.  But Chuck Billy continues to stand lookout in case they should need his help again.]