It's the Time of Year to Stay Clear of Mother Deer

Spring isn’t just a time for blooming flowers and the return of warmer weather, it’s also a time when local female deer (doe) in Cincinnati birth baby fawns. Female deer sometimes return to the same area year after year to give birth to their young.

For the first few weeks of a fawn’s life, they stay in the same area not able to easily move around and in a very fragile state. Because of this, mother deer become protective. Occasionally, they charge other animals, and sometimes humans, when they get too close to the area where their fawn is located.

This is very important to keep in mind as you visit any Cincinnati park in spring, especially during the months of May and June. If you go hiking or walking in a park and you see a female deer in the distance, make sure to STAY CLEAR. We want every park visitor to be as safe as they possibly can be, and it’s best to practice caution when you spot a doe this time of year.

Another item to note, sometimes a lucky hiker will come across a lone fawn resting in a field or forest. It may appear that the fawn is abandoned, but rest assured, it is not. The fawn’s protective mother is almost certainly watching you, and you likely will not see her doing so. Please do not approach or attempt to move a lone fawn. The fawn is fine, and is not in need of help.

More specifically, Cincinnati Parks has a returning mother deer in Eden Park near Playhouse in the Park. At this time, we ask everyone to be mindful of nature and do their best to avoid the walking trails around Playhouse in the Park. This will ensure the doe and the fawn can progress through this delicate time in their lives with ease.

Remember that we share our parks with wildlife and we must be respectful of their lives and let them be.