LIVINGSTON COUNTY — Chances are, you’ve seen a fawn prancing through fields already this spring.

It’s an idyllic sign of warmer months to come, but what many don’t realize is that prancing fawn is already several weeks old. Newborn fawns are often mistaken for injured or abandoned deer, and the well-intentioned intervention of humans can actually do more harm than good.

Newborn fawns aren’t very mobile

Unlike horses, fawns don’t begin traveling with their mothers until they’re around five or six weeks old, according to Kiki Bolduc, manager of the wildlife clinic at the Howell Nature Center in Michigan’s Livingston County.

The majority of those first weeks are spent resting in what the doe has determined is a safe spot. The fawn is usually capable of standing and making short journeys so its mother can lead it to the next safe place — usually about once a day. Otherwise, the fawn will spend most its time alone.

While the idea of leaving a baby by itself for hours at a time is unthinkable for humans, it’s actually crucial to the survival of fawns.

Deer have a scent that can be picked up by predators, but newborn fawns haven’t developed one yet. A doe will leave to avoid attracting predators to her fawn, and return only to feed it and lead it to a new place.

A common myth is that, when a doe detects a human scent on her fawn, she’ll abandon it. In reality, if a doe smells a human, she’ll likely move the fawn to a new, safer area.

Bolduc said, because of urbanization, wildlife is getting closer to populated areas. Occasionally, a doe will choose someone’s yard or other areas with people nearby to keep her fawn.

“Sometimes people will see (fawns) when they’re gardening because they like to hide underneath plants and cover and things like that, or hiking. Occasionally you’ll see them on the roadside,” Bolduc said.

“Most of the time, the first question you should ask is: What is it doing? A healthy fawn (should be) laying down, not making any noise, it doesn’t have any bugs crawling on it, doesn’t have any wounds or anything — it’s just laying nice and curled up and quiet.”

A healthy fawn should be left alone, as the mother will likely return. Bolduc said not to leave out food or water, as this can attract predators.

The biggest dangers to a fawn in its first few weeks of life are dogs, wolves, coyotes and humans.

“In those first few weeks of life, humans are definitely one of the top dangers for fawnnapping,” Bolduc said. “As much as we want to do good for them … (because) it is weird to see an animal by itself … fawnnapping is definitely something I would consider a danger to fawns.”

If it’s raining heavily or it’s sunny and hot, the fawn will sometimes move itself into a more comfortable spot. If it doesn’t, humans can sometimes intervene by moving it out of immediate danger or under some cover, but the fawn should be kept in the same general area. When its mother returns, she’ll call out and the fawn will call back to let her know where it is.

If a fawn shows up in your yard, Bolduc said, the best thing to do is to simply leave it alone, keeping dogs far away for the day and giving it space to rest comfortably.

What to do when a fawn is injured

If you suspect a fawn is injured or unwell, Bolduc said to look for clear signs, like flies and other bugs, as well as their eggs. Their presence is often a sign a fawn doesn’t have the strength to keep them off. A fawn lying on its side, crying consistently, or approaching humans or dogs are also signs that it needs help.

“If they’ve been calling for more than an hour, if it has any bugs crawling on it, if it has any wounds, does it approach you? That’s what every rehabber is going to want to know. You can take videos and pictures of it too, because that’s really helpful for us,” Bolduc said.

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“If it’s not doing well, (you can put) the fawn in a large storage container somewhere nice and safe … so you can wait to get a call back from a rehabber. … The big thing is to not put it in your house. People touching it, people holding it, dogs playing with it, those kinds of things. We want to limit the amount of external stress.”

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has a list of licensed rehabilitators in counties across the state, along with their specialties and contact information at www2.dnr.state.mi.us/dlr/.

— Contact reporter Tess Ware at tware@livingstondaily.com.

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Common myths about ‘abandoned’ fawns — and what you should do if you find one