Warning to NOT Do This To Deer in New York State
DO NOT DO THIS.
A local police agency is reminding everyone that when you see this happen is almost always okay and you should not DO THIS. DO NOT go up to the deer and certainly do not touch the deer. Now is that time of the year that you will see whitetail deer give birth to their fawn.
It is completely normal for a fawn to be sitting somewhere that you think is random, but very natural to the deer. Also, it is completely normal for the fawn to sit there alone for 10-12 hours a day. Deer are born almost odorless and when the mom has the fawn, she will "hide" the deer from predators and then go away and come back to check on the baby.
If you go to touch the fawn or pick it up, you could leave your scent on the deer, alarming predators to where the fawn could be. The deer could also get scared and move away from where the fawn's mother left it.
EXTRA: There is one woman who is infamous in Western New York for constantly feeding the deer in Cheektowaga, New York A LOT despite being told by officials to please stop. Anita Depczynski known as the "Cheektowaga Deer Lady". She said that she would rather spend time in jail than let the deer starve in Stiglmeier Park on Losson Road in Cheektowaga. One of her first stints in jail was a 15-day sentence at the Erie County Holding Center.
Why can't you feed the deer? There is a ban in place that is intended to help prevent Chronic Wasting Disease among deer. Anita has said before that she knows there is a ban.