05/02/2026
With fawning season in full swing, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, along with Sunset Beach Animal Control, is once again reminding people not to approach, touch or remove any white-tailed deer fawns they encounter over the next few weeks.
From late April through June, white-tailed does across North Carolina are giving birth. Whitetails are a “hider” species, which means the female will hide her fawn in vegetation during the first two or three weeks of its life as she feeds. When left alone, fawns have an excellent chance of survival. Their dappled coat and lack of scent keep them well camouflaged and usually undetected by predators in the wild. Fawns are also well-equipped to protect themselves.
From April to June, Wildlife Commission biologists and law enforcement officers will receive an abundance of calls from people in North Carolina who decide to capture fawns that they think are abandoned. Each year, people who believe they are assisting so called “orphaned” fawn, will remove them from the wild, leaving the mother deer searching for her young. It is extremely rare for a fawn to be orphaned, or abandoned by a doe. It is absolutely normal for a doe to hide its young and search for food, and then return later to nurse it. She may do this readily over the course of 24-48 hours. If you find a fawn making a bleating sound during the course of that time, a call to law enforcement would be justified, especially if it appears injured, the bleating is loud or has visible diarrhea.
If a fawn happens to be removed from the location where it was found, Animal Control Officer Bill Arp advises to take it back to where it was found — but only if the fawn has been held for less than 48 hours, the maximum time when a doe usually will return for her fawn. After 48 hours, or if you have given it any food, call animal control, and an animal rehabilator will be contacted.
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission states “most people are ill-equipped to care for a fawn, so their misguided attempts to “save” an abandoned fawn typically do more harm than good. The survival rate of the fawn significantly decreases once taken from their natural environment, and it is likely they’ll never be reunited with their mothers,”. “It’s important to leave wildlife in the wild and to contact a trained law enforcement and a wildlife rehabilitator, if you suspect the animal needs help.”
Along with issue of being biologically irresponsible to remove a fawn from the wild, it is also a violation of law. Only certified wildlife rehabilitators are permitted to keep white-tailed deer in captivity.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Animal Control Officer Bill Arp at:
910-712-3293
910-579-2151
