One can get into big trouble with the state DNR by grabbing a fawn. Depends on the state and the circumstances.
I pretty well knew as soon as I seen her up on the bank that a fawnnapping was in progress. Within one second of her seeing that fawn spread out in that culvert she had made an emotionally charged decision that the fawn was hers. As hard as it is to fathom women have been known to even kidnap other women's babies! I learned a loooong time ago that it is better to bring in the entire herd where one can befriend them for wild pets but domesticated to only one person/family.
If I had been in her position I would have pulled off the rescue but once up on the bank I would be doing everything in my power to call in the fawns momma. If after a half hour momma did not become visually active in the general area I too would have taken the fawn to my acreage figuring the worst case scenario had befallen the fawns momma. I always carry in vehicle a "fawn in distress call" & a wire/staple plier just in case a fawn/deer or larger animals gets hung up in the wire. It's simply mind boggling how many deer are now living on the farmsteads now a days, like 88% of White-Tailed deer are dropped on privately owned acreage!
A recent report by the National Deer Association shows that 88 percent of the whitetails killed in America are taken on private land.
www.grandviewoutdoors.com
BELOW; THE WAY TO DO IT!
Dead doe/rescued fawn, entire herd moves into folks backyard.
BELOW; "Cabin squirrel" & her herd of 20+ world class semi domesticated Mule deer!
Lil Buster; 2nd generation fawn/fully domesticated to Cabin Squirrel
I've seen several Russian families that have adopted indoor/outdoor deer(Roe deer) for family pets. The deer whispering community has definitely gone global.
Indoor/outdoor deer in our USA
Dillie the Deer, the worlds first international super star deer appeared on "Dillie cam 24/7" for many years. Dillie easily claimed the title of the most popular/famous deer in history ESPECIALLY after her foster parents received an email from the INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION(see in link below), which literally took Dillie out of this world!
House-raised doe has been ‘Love on Hooves’
www.cantonrep.com
With only 4% of Americans actively hunting various species of wildlife, the deer are now becoming ever more popular as pets for those living in both rural & country areas. Even some folks living in towns are co-existing with deer like see the below link.
Man fined for living with 2 deer at his home
Times are a changing!