A doe with two fawns that's a regular at the feeder came by yesterday morning. I was ready to whack one of the fawns when I noticed he didn't quite look right. He was panting heavily with quick short breaths even though he was just standing in the brush not moving. His head was down a lot and saw slobber drooling out of his nose and mouth at one point.

Any idea what the ailment could be?

Stay away!!! Could be rabies.

Unless you are a professional, I would stay clear of sick wild animals. No good can come from it.

Maybe he just has the flu?

Hard to say what it could be. Possibly could have been pneumonia with this weather we have had.

Why would you whack a fawn?

My question also? But as far as your question, take everyone's else's advice and stay away from a wild sick animal.

Yea don't really understand shooting fawns??

I assume he want's to teach it to be somewhat scared of humans.

Coyote probably already having a meal....Let nature deal with it, but like others have said, avoid contact with sick animals.

Nothing wrong with shooting a doe fawn.

+1.

It's a doe, and if your management program calls for removing does, a doe fawn fills the bill nicely. And it will save you money....you won't have to feed it at your protein feeders or food plots to raise the fawn up to adulthood, just so you can shoot it next year. It may seem cruel, but it's somewhat better for your management program to choose a doe fawn over its mother when culling.

Just be certain it's not a buck fawn.

And I'm putting my money on pneumonia as well. It's quite common in deer, sheep, and other ungulates. Rabies would be highly unlikely, but it's not worth taking the chance.

Sounds like a nubbin buck from what the OP states. shooting a doe fawn, I wouldn't, but his deal, A nubbin buck, no way in hell.

dawaba is/was a vet iirc, I'd take his advice on this one, (no disrespect to the other fellas of course)

You can really tell on a very young fawn whether it's a doe or buck? I can't, I have several I still have not idea, still wouldn't shot one.

Only time I'll hold off on a doe fawn if I'm meat hunting is if it's late born and too small. Best meat out there if you ask me. That's a whole nother topic though.

As far as sick animals go I'm not eating one and rarely will I mercy kill, nature will work it out. Deer will live through a lot.

i would pass on a sick deer for sure
it could possibly have something transmittable to humans

Yes I can. It is easy to do if you are using binos and LOOKING at the deer with them. Wait till the fawn turns to give profile of the head and the nubs will be visible if it is a buck fawn.
Can you tell the buck fawns from the doe fawns in these pics?

Nothing wrong with shooting a fawn. especially if it looks to be sickly. Most common problem I see with the fawns around here is bot fly larva getting in their nose.. they will have their head down most the time and just look to be in the worst discomfort ever. Those things are no joke I dug one out of a yearling nose cavity one day and I have no idea how it was breathing

I'm talking about non nubs, early. Late bloomers. That is fawn to me. I might be all back awards and probably I'm. But I still can't shoot bambi, as my wife's says, lol.

There are fawns in every pic I posted above, with one pic having 3 buck fawns in it. That pic was taken first part of November. A buck fawn will have nubs showing very early on in the fall.

I still have dreams about shooting bambis dad

Its funny cuz that movie was made by Anti Hunters to pretty much brain wash our youth that hunting was bad... along with fox and the hound and others... truly was the focus of both.. had a backwards effect on me I guess

If I am wanting/needing more fawns born I have no problem shooting a doe fawn. It leaves an adult doe to breed and chance to raise twins the next summer. The doe fawn will only eat and not normally breed for another year. Not raising a fawn till the next summer. It also depends on the management goals you have and how long they have been in place.

I would disagree with that, it was written iirc in Hungary in the 1920's (hunting very excepted then. Then in the 40's Walt Disney saw the book and made the movie, he actually changed the subject species from the book (Roe deer) to a more familiar to americans the WT. Even in the 40's, hunting was very accepted in the US.

This was discussed in a university course I took... don't know why I remember it but the movie is the main thing im talking about.. When you see the hunter what do you see? waist down boots, and a gun... no image of the face makes the character have less comfort to viewers... also every time you see the hunter do you remember what would happen with the background music? Then a scene with a forest fire and the hunter is still out hunting??

Sorry to the OP I got way off track...