This was a very lucky encounter (for me). I was in the woods to pick up the trail cameras and came across a mother and fawn by chance, right by the path. I had no camera except the iPhone. The fawn had probably just been born and could barely stand. It tottered into a bit of cover and the mother retreated, hoping to distract me. I took the chance of a few photos before leaving them in peace.
It is an amazing defence strategy. As the fawn can't walk and its mother can't easily defend it, it relies on its camouflage and lying completely still, hardly daring to breathe. Newborn fawns also have no scent, helping them to evade predators. This brief video shows how still it keeps (excuse my shaky hand).
An hour later the fawn hadn't moved and the mother was still close by. A couple of hours later the fawn had gone, moved to a safer hiding place by its mother.
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