ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK - As we get closer to summer, we are starting to see more of this year’s newest additions to the wild kingdom. Foxes and coyotes have already brought their litters into the world, and in another month or so the kits and pups will be on their own. 

Late May and early June brings the next round from the feature of this week's article, the deer family.

Baby deer are well known as fawns, and baby moose and elk share the term calves for their offspring. These wobbly little wonders are quite adorable to watch as they make their way about the wide, new world. 

That said, the wandering is typically done under the watchful eyes of mama, which leads me to the heart of the article, an interesting tactic utilized by two of the three members of the family (deer and elk): the stashing of their babies.

Stashing a fawn or elk calf is a tactic where a mother finds a secluded place to keep her offspring while she grazes. It is intended to be a way to protect the babies from predation. While it might seem that the baby would be far more vulnerable, it allows the mother to lure a potential predator away from the baby before the predator can spot it. 

This hiding spot can be under a bush or shrub, or in the case of the high, treeless alpine tundra, a place as simple as a shallow divot in the ground, as seen in this week’s image.  

The babies instinctively know to stay completely still and quiet while mama is away. Adding to the success of the stash are the well-known spots on fawns and elk calves, which help to provide camouflage for the little ones. 

By the end of their first summer, they are no longer stashed, and thus grow out of the spots. 

Fawns and elk calves have also evolved to have only a very faint scent. This helps to deter predators as well, as then the babes are harder to track. 

Part of the effectiveness of stashing is that the mothers can spend up to a few hours at a time away from their offspring, thus minimizing the possibility that their own scent might rub off on the babies during this vulnerable time. 

The moms will return every so often to nurse, but in general will keep their distance. That said, they typically tend to stay within a hundred yards or so—never too far—and they never truly abandon their young

It is imperative to understand this behavior. Sadly, it is not uncommon for unknowing humans to come across a stashed fawn or calf, not see a mother nearby, and assume the babe has been left behind. 

The story usually ends with the would-be rescuers scooping up the baby and taking it to an animal shelter, thus separating mother and child for life. This likely ends up with the calf or fawn living its life in captivity. At this young age, the baby will imprint too much on humans, and won’t ever successfully reintegrate to a herd.

Interestingly, while moose babies are also stashed, it is done to a much lesser degree, and mama is never as far away as deer and elk mothers. It is assumed that since moose are not herd animals, their independent life leads toward the mother being far more protective of her offspring. 

Rather than distracting a predator away, it is likely that in this scenario a predator wants nothing to do with an adult moose to begin with, thus leaving the mother to rely on sheer aggression to protect her young, creating the need for her to stay close.  

As most here in the Peak to Peak region are well aware, a mama moose is statistically the most dangerous and aggressive animal in the state, so it pays to be very alert when hiking or biking this time of the year, especially if you are with a dog.

It is relatively safe to assume that if you encounter a female moose, a baby or yearling is nearby. Even if one isn’t present or at least within viewing distance, you need to keep your distance.

I mentioned earlier that the stashed baby will stay still and silent, but the elk calf image I chose to couple with this article slightly belies this statement. In this case, the calf was stashed quite near a tundra trail that was fairly heavily trafficked by humans. 

It was quite a successful stash, as the baby wasn’t noticed at all until the mother, grazing well over 100 yards away, began to head back to the calf to nurse. It is quite likely that, had it not been for the mother’s calls as she made her way back, causing the baby to rise, it would have remained there, within yards of countless humans, completely undetected, thus proving the amazing efficacy of a very simple tactic of survival in the wild.

For additional information about James DeWalt Photography, check out https://jamesdewaltphotography.com.