White-tail suckling

There are many white-tailed deer in the valley and they are, on the whole, quite visible. Yet there are some things that one rarely sees: rutting, mating, birth, and suckling. It is probably not that the deer has a sense of privacy, but that it has a sense of security about activities for which it, or its offspring, are more vulnerable to predators.

Last evening, I saw suckling.

This picture actually follows the next one in time and shows the fawn and parent having just separated. The fawn still has its tongue out and its hind legs are covered in mud.

This (somewhat confusing) scene shows the fawn suckling.