Every year, in mid-June or early July, Fish and Game staff in the McCall office start to receive reports of aggressive deer. Right on time, Fish and Game received their first report up Warren Wagon Road last week. Now, staff are reminding area residents to give deer space and keep dogs on leashes to avoid potential conflicts.
“There are a couple of areas where we know of does that tend to become pushy or threatening when they have fawns hidden nearby,” says Nathan Borg, Regional Wildlife Biologist. “For the last few years, there’s been one up Warren Wagon Road and another near the Woodlands.”
Although it can seem like strange behavior, it’s pretty normal for does to become aggressive, especially in a place where deer have fawns right in town. All wildlife have a choice between fight or flight when they feel threatened, and even typically docile animals like deer will sometimes choose fight.
According to Borg, deer can be particularly aggressive when they encounter domestic dogs, which they see as predators.
Fish and Game has few options to resolve these situations, since young fawns are usually hidden somewhere away from mom, and removing the doe from the area would result in orphaning the fawn, which would then likely die from predation or starvation.
Luckily, this behavior only lasts a few weeks. By the end of July, deer shift more towards flight, because fawns are more mobile and able to keep up. Until then, keep dogs close and on a leash. If you observe a deer, stay well away from it. If it behaves aggressively, back away and yell until you are a safe distance away.