White-tailed deer are a common sight across Wisconsin’s diverse landscapes, from dense forests to agricultural fields. Each spring, a new generation of these animals, known as fawns, emerges, representing the continuation of the species. These spotted young deer play a significant role in the state’s ecosystem.
Peak Fawn Birthing Season
In Wisconsin, the primary period for white-tailed deer fawns to be born is typically May and June. The vast majority arrive during this time, with many does giving birth from mid-May through mid-June. This strategy helps to “overwhelm” predators and increase the young’s survival chances. Newborn fawns can weigh as little as three pounds at birth and often remain hidden for their first few weeks.
The Deer Reproductive Cycle
The timing of fawn births in late spring is a direct result of the white-tailed deer’s annual reproductive cycle. The mating season, often called the “rut,” typically occurs in Wisconsin from late October through mid-November. During this period, male deer, known as bucks, actively seek out and breed with female deer, or does. The onset of breeding is largely influenced by decreasing daylight hours.
Following a successful mating, white-tailed deer have a gestation period lasting approximately 200 days, or about six and a half to seven months. This roughly seven-month pregnancy means that does bred during the peak rut in November will give birth around May or June of the following year. This natural timing ensures fawns are born when environmental conditions are most favorable, with lush vegetation providing abundant food for nursing mothers and growing young.
What to Do When You Encounter a Fawn
During the fawning season, it is common to encounter a young white-tailed deer seemingly alone. Fawns are naturally left hidden by their mothers for extended periods, a survival strategy that keeps them safe from predators. The mother doe stays some distance away to avoid drawing attention to her young, visiting only a few times a day to nurse, often around dawn and dusk.
If you find a fawn lying still and quiet, it is best to leave it undisturbed. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) advises against touching or intervening with fawns. Interfering can endanger the fawn by revealing its location to predators or discouraging the mother from returning. While it is a common misconception that a mother will reject a fawn with human scent, the primary concern is that human presence will prevent the mother from approaching. Contact wildlife officials only if a fawn appears visibly sick, injured, or in an immediate unsafe location, such as a roadway.