# 2014 Key Deer fawns



## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

It doesn't seem to matter what the species is.................baby anythings are just soooo precious!!!!
Beautiful pictures!


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## kayfabulous6 (Nov 19, 2013)

Wow!!! simply stunning. I never knew deer had such long eyelashes!! So cute a momma and babies.


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## cliffdweller (Jan 31, 2011)

kayfabulous6 said:


> Wow!!! simply stunning. I never knew deer had such long eyelashes!! So cute a momma and babies.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


They also have long "wild hairs" (long hairs above and below the eyes & around the face) and whiskers on their faces (evident on the older fawn below). All of these form a sensory system that helps to protect the face & eyes when the deer traverse the heavy undergrowth typical in their habitat. Deer are also largely nocturnal.


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

wonderful photos as usual. thanks for sharing.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

As always your pics are wonderful. Those wild hairs on deer function just like all of the whiskers on cats (including ones that many don't notice on their limbs). Cats generally won't enter spaces that bend the whiskers heavily when they stick their heads in.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Beautiful photos. Beautiful deer. They are truly exquisite, aren't they. Thank you so much for sharing. 

I remember in one of my animal behavior classes learning that they were not actually nocturnal, but _crepuscular,_ up and about just before dawn and around dusk, mostly in spring time. But in summer, they are feeding during the day. And when in rutting season, off and on day and night. So it seems to vary a little bit. 

They seem to know when it's hunting season. When I lived in Idaho in a very wilderness, low population area, where they were prevalent and very hunted they were extra cautious, not like the deer I see around where I live now. I couldn't put my hand on the door knob if they were in my pasture (quite a little ways from my house) without them hearing it and preparing to run off into the woods and sometimes darting away. At other seasons, they were much braver. I had them coming right next to my windows and feeding off my raspberry bushes. I think they're quite intelligent animals and also have very keen instincts. And in spring, I had a doe stalk me on a hike for a couple miles. It was creepy.

Well, thanks for sharing your lovely pictures.


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## cliffdweller (Jan 31, 2011)

Poodlebeguiled said:


> Beautiful photos. Beautiful deer. They are truly exquisite, aren't they. Thank you so much for sharing.
> 
> I remember in one of my animal behavior classes learning that they were not actually nocturnal, but _crepuscular,_ up and about just before dawn and around dusk, mostly in spring time. But in summer, they are feeding during the day. And when in rutting season, off and on day and night. So it seems to vary a little bit.


Thank you for that information ! I think here, the deer hide from the sun and bugs during the daytime, finding a shady spot with a breeze, if possible. I see them browsing mostly in the eve and nighttime hours. 



Poodlebeguiled said:


> ... I think they're quite intelligent animals and also have very keen instincts. And in spring, I had a doe stalk me on a hike for a couple miles. It was creepy.
> ...


I think you are correct, I think they are quite intelligent and have complex familial relationships. Doe are very protective of their young: I've had a momma doe walk belligerently between me & Rain and her fawn on many occasions. The twin fawns in the photos above were fearless of me and I was able to crawl within about 6' of them, out in the open, without disturbing them at all. Of course, the Key deer are protected and most are not very fearful of humans --- some even enjoy a bit of human attention. 

Fawns are very curious : http://www.poodleforum.com/8-other-animals/13753-my-dads-lil-helper.html#post171766


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Oh that makes perfect sense to want to get out of the sun and away from the bugs where you live. 

They can be really dangerous. Like you say, fiercely protective of their babies. My dogs were all really obedient about coming when called but my son's dog was mediocre about it. She ran off a ways when on a hike and the next thing I hear is a baby deer crying out in sort of a bleating way. I yelled once more and my son's dog came back. We started down the trail and I looked back and here was the mama standing behind a stump, staring at us. I said, "come" and we trotted along the trail for quite a ways. I looked back and there she was again, not 20 ft away. This went on for about 2.5 miles. It was quite alarming.


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## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

You should submit your shots to National Geographic!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

liljaker said:


> You should submit your shots to National Geographic!


*Yes!!!!*

They really are superb.


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