JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
With all the river bottoms flooding lately, I've wondered about this. I figured that most of the deer have moved to higher ground. The trail cam has caught a few fawns following mom, so at least some of them are mobile.
From Hanback's Blog
Will the Deer Fawns Drown?
Hey Mike: My girlfriend and I were going out to set up trail cameras on May 24th and saw this fawn, which must have been just hours old, milking in the middle of the easement road. The car scared off the mother, but the fawn laid still and let us get these pictures. The little deer finally stumbled off on its face into the long grass. When we got back from setting the cameras they were both gone. Very cool! Thanks, Dan, south-side of La Crosse, WI
First thought: Isn’t a fawn the cutest creature on earth?
Second thought: Several bloggers have wondered if the horrific recent flooding not only in WI but also Indiana and now Iowa will kill a significant number of newborn fawns. I asked Missouri’s Dr. Grant Woods, one of the top deer scientists in the world:
Pregnant does simply move out of the flood zone, so no worries. The primary concern is for dropped fawns too young to move to higher ground as the water rises (like this one Dan photographed).
Fawn survival in flood plains is typically very high, even during flood years. To cause any significant problem, the water levels would have to rise very rapidly and be timed when the peak of fawn births occur but before they were mobile. This is a relatively narrow window of time. Rivers rarely rise that quickly, and most does are excellent mothers! Another concern is where the flood plain is the preferred fawning cover. When does are forced to fawn in adjoining croplands where there isn’t as much cover, predation increases. But overall, I’m not worried about the fawns and the herds in the flood areas. Grant
So most of the little deer should make it, that's great
From Hanback's Blog
Will the Deer Fawns Drown?
Hey Mike: My girlfriend and I were going out to set up trail cameras on May 24th and saw this fawn, which must have been just hours old, milking in the middle of the easement road. The car scared off the mother, but the fawn laid still and let us get these pictures. The little deer finally stumbled off on its face into the long grass. When we got back from setting the cameras they were both gone. Very cool! Thanks, Dan, south-side of La Crosse, WI
First thought: Isn’t a fawn the cutest creature on earth?
Second thought: Several bloggers have wondered if the horrific recent flooding not only in WI but also Indiana and now Iowa will kill a significant number of newborn fawns. I asked Missouri’s Dr. Grant Woods, one of the top deer scientists in the world:
Pregnant does simply move out of the flood zone, so no worries. The primary concern is for dropped fawns too young to move to higher ground as the water rises (like this one Dan photographed).
Fawn survival in flood plains is typically very high, even during flood years. To cause any significant problem, the water levels would have to rise very rapidly and be timed when the peak of fawn births occur but before they were mobile. This is a relatively narrow window of time. Rivers rarely rise that quickly, and most does are excellent mothers! Another concern is where the flood plain is the preferred fawning cover. When does are forced to fawn in adjoining croplands where there isn’t as much cover, predation increases. But overall, I’m not worried about the fawns and the herds in the flood areas. Grant
So most of the little deer should make it, that's great
