A mule deer doe travels with her fawn. 

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has issued a public reminder that May through July is birthing season for mule deer and elk, and young animals should be left alone when encountered, even if they appear abandoned. 

It’s natural for mother animals to leave their young alone for extended periods while they go off to feed, the agency said in a news release. Members of the public should not assume a young animal is orphaned when it is seen alone. The mother will return when it is safe and when people, pets or predators aren’t around.

Removing an animal from the wild is a violation of Oregon wildlife laws. When people remove them from the wild, young animals miss the chance to learn where to seek cover, what to eat and how to escape from predators and other dangers, the agency said.

Wildlife officials say deer fawns are sometimes mistakenly picked up by humans with good intentions, a problem that almost immediately reduces the animals’ chances of survival to zero. Once a doe returns to the spot where she left her fawn, and finds it missing, she will search the area in a grid pattern.

ODFW asks the public to view wildlife from a distance and keep dogs leashed. Elk in particular can be aggressive and dangerous to humans and pets.

Read more: ODFW to discuss its Mule Deer Management Plan rewrite in Bend