This is not a fool proof list of whether a baby needs help. If you can, please call first if in doubt before taking home a baby. AND, yes, the mother will still take a baby back in most cases after it has been touched by humans.

Fawns are born with very little odor as protection from predators. They also have an instinct to freeze when presented with danger. The doe spends as little time as possible with her babies. She may nurse only 5-10 minutes at a time the first few weeks. Thus the babies are hopefully safe from other animals and stay close to where she leaves them, possibly wandering only a few feet before laying down after she leaves. When she returns, she makes a low gutteral sound to call the babies close to where she last left them. They respond with a gentle mew or an alarm cry if frightened. Again, human scent does not deter a mother from returning to her young, but it may make them more susceptable to predator animals, such as dogs.