Middle of June was fawning season for the mule deer herd in Waterton and we had lots of opportunity to take pictures. We missed seeing any being born but several, like these, are only an hour or two old. Twins were common and we even spotted a few triplets.
These two were born about an hour ago. Mother is keeping them down and hidden in the grass if I move at all. I was tucked in behind a tree and sitting still for 10 minutes or so before she let them venture this far.
Once the fawns have had a few hours to gain their legs, the doe will move them from the birthing site to another secluded area. If we saw a single doe, not attached to the herd, grazing then her fawns were usually stashed in the grass or a little stand of shrubs nearby where they were out of sight.
During out time in Waterton, we had cougar warnings posted in the town site and there was a cougar that had come in from the surrounding mountains that had killed a few fawns. People living in Waterton have chicken wire fences around their shrubs and gardens to keep the deer out and the same under their decks to discourage the cougars from stashing their kills which they will later return to finish eating.
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