The Texas Hill Country is perhaps the most densely populated area of white-tailed deer in the country. White-tailed deer are a small to medium-hoofed mammal with reddish brown to blue-gray or tan colorings. The underside of the tail is white and produces a white “flag” and rump when raised. Antlers on male consist mainly of main beam with tines growing from it.

Females give birth to one to three spotted young, known as fawns, in mid- to late spring, generally in May or June. For the first four weeks, fawns are hidden in vegetation by their mothers, and nurse them four to five times a day. This strategy keeps scent levels low to avoid predators. After about a month, the fawns are then able to follow their mothers on foraging trips. They are usually weaned after 8–10 weeks.

Most of the time, when a person comes across a fawn, the fawn is truly not abandoned. Understand that the doe will give birth and leave the fawn. This is normal. The mother is usually within a 500 foot radius of the fawn. If the fawn is not crying, is not covered with fire ants, the eyes are not swollen and there are no visible wounds, do not handle or disturb it. Your presence will only cause unnecessary stress for the fawn.

If there is an injured deer near you, please immediately contact the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Wildlife Information Line at 1-800-792-1112. We will work with them directly when rehabilitation care is needed.

Eastern Fox Squirrels are common throughout their range in Texas.  They are a large tree squirrel with a rusty or reddish underparts, brownish or grayish upperparts, and a bushy tail which is usually less than half of the total length of the animal. 

Fox squirrels are adaptable to a wide variety of forest habitats, but in most areas, open woodlands of mixed trees support the heaviest populations. The best habitat is mature oak-hickory woodlands broken into small, irregularly shaped tracts and connected by strips of woodland that serve as corridors. Fox squirrels primarily feed on acorns and other nuts. Nuts are eaten from the time they start to develop and are buried in the fall in individual caches at the surface of the ground for winter use. The squirrels can relocate these caches by smell.

Reproduction occurs twice a year, around January and May. The average female produces only four offspring each year. At birth, the young are blind, nearly naked, and helpless. They develop rather slowly, beginning to climb about in the nest around 7-8 weeks. Around the age of 3 months, they begin to lead more independent lives.

If you come across a baby squirrel on the ground, leave it where you found it for two to three hours to give the parents a chance to retrieve it. Human touch will not deter the adult squirrels from recovering the young. If a domestic pet brought the animal to you, contact us for assistance.

The Virginia Opossum, commonly known as the North American opossum, is the only marsupial found in North America. They are about the size of a terrier dog, with a long tail, black ears, slender snout, and five toes on each foot. Females contain a pouch for young developed during breeding season.

Opossums are primarily inhabitants of deciduous woodlands but are found just about everywhere in Texas. Hollow trees and logs are preferred sites, but opossums will den in woodpiles, rock piles, under buildings, in attics, and in underground burrows. The opossum is strictly nocturnal, venturing forth to feed shortly after dark. It feeds on a variety of foods, including rats, mice, young rabbits, birds, insects, frogs, fruits, and vegetables.

Their mating season extends from January/February to June/July, producing up to two litters a year. Litter size can vary from 5 to 21 young, each weighing about 3 grains (one-fifth of a gram or 0.0004 pounds). Blind, nearly helpless, and no larger than a honeybee, they crawl unaided into the mother's pouch. There they remain, attached to a nipple, for about 7 weeks.

If you find a baby opossum, please contact us for assistance. The mother will usually not return for the young. If you come across a dead opossum on the side of the road with intact babies, please leave the young undisturbed and contact us for further instruction. We will typically request bringing the adult and babies together to ensure proper care.

Raccoons are easily recognizable medium-sized carnivores with distinctive blackish facial masks outlined with white and with alternating black and buff/white rings on the bushy tail. Raccoons are widely distributed across most of the United States, and are found statewide in Texas. They are seldom found far from water and prefer hardwood-timbered habitats.

Raccoons live in dens located primarily in trees or rock ledges. In urban environments, they commonly use barns, houses, and other available buildings as den sites.  Raccoons are nocturnal and typically spend the day in their dens.

Mating season begins in February and continues through August. Most of the young are born in April or May. Litter size varies from two to four. Young raccoons are well haired at birth and have dark skin with no rings on the tail. Eyes open between the 18th and 23rd day. Weaning of the young occurs by the ages of 12 weeks.

If you come across a young raccoon, please stay back and monitor it. If necessary, place the young in a box for additional protection and leave in a protected spot in the shade for 24 hours. If the mother is still around, given the opportunity, she will take back her young, even if you have touched them. If they are old enough to follow her, she will encourage them and lead them. If they are small, she will pick them up one at a time to carry them to safety. After 24 hours, please contact us for instruction if the young are still abandoned.

Cottontail rabbits occur throughout the state of Texas. They are moderately large, rusty brown with relatively short ears and large hind feet. They seldom venture far from brushy cover. In Central Texas, it commonly frequents brush-dotted pastures, the brushy edges of cultivated fields, and well-drained stream sides. It is common along country roads in many places, especially where the sides are grown up to dense vegetation and adjoining areas are heavily grazed and farmed.

Cottontails are mainly active in the twilight hours and at night, where they will venture into open pastures, meadows, or lawns to forage. In the daytime, they rest in beds in nearby thickets or underground burrows and undersized culverts.

Breeding occurs year-round, depending on temperature and rainfall. Four to five litters of one to eight young may be reared yearly. The young are blind and helpless at birth but rapidly grow. They are considered weaned at about seven weeks, usually weighing less than half a pound, and are no larger than a tennis ball.

If you come across a young cottontail with its eyes open, chances are it's not orphaned. It will make its way back to the nest. It is normal never to see the mother tending to her young, as she usually comes around twice daily to feed, either early morning or late at night. If you stumble across a nest you believe is abandoned, sprinkle baking flour around the nest. If the mother is returning, you'll see footprints in the flour. If the rabbit has remained in the same spot for two or more days and is easy to catch, it likely needs assistance.

Gray foxes are medium-sized with grayish upperparts, reddish brown legs, tawny sides, and whitish throat and cheeks. The Red fox is similar in size to the gray fox but conspicuously different in color and in cranial characteristics. These animals are rusty red in color, grizzled with white throughout the face and throat. Red fox are not native to Texas, having been introduced around 1895 in the eastern and central portions of the state.  Today, they occur over most of the state except for the far western and southern regions.

Both species are social animals, with the primary unit being the family consisting of an adult male and female plus a number of juveniles. Both are most active at night, although they occasionally move during the early morning or late afternoon.

Gray foxes are monogamous. They produce one litter a year, between two to six young, arriving in late winter or early spring. Gray foxes are estimated to live six to ten years in the wild. The family unit will stay together until early fall, when the young reach sexual maturity, then disperse.

Red foxes reproduce once a year, with a litter averaging four to six arriving in March or April. Pups open their eyes around nine days of age, appear outside the den at about one month, and are weaned at about ten weeks. The family unit will stay together until early fall before the young disperse to create their own family unit. The life expectancy of a pup in the wild is less than 1 year, and few foxes live beyond the age of three to four years. Humans and domestic dogs are their major predators.

Both the gray fox and red fox are rabies vector species. Do not touch a fox until you've been instructed to do so. Do not allow pets or children to make contact with these animals. 

The best chance of survival for a baby fox is to be raised by it's natural parents. Make every effort to allow the parents to care for their babies before considering removal from the wild. If you locate an injured or sick fox, please contact the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Wildlife Information Line at 1-800-792-1112. We will work with them directly when rehabilitation care is needed.