It's that time of year when we are venturing out and walking in the woods, across fields, and in general just spending more time outside. It's also the time of year that the Minnesota DNR gets calls about 'abandoned' fawns. Do you know what you should do if you encounter a fawn? Here's what the Minnesota DNR suggests you do.

What should you do if you encounter a deer fawn in Minnesota?

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recently put out a newsletter that answered that question. Here's what they had to say:

Avoid disturbing or touching deer fawns, which are born around this time of year. Most fawns are born in mid-May to mid-June. Be assured deer fawns are likely fine even if they look abandoned or fragile. Even if the fawn is known to be wounded or abandoned due to car strike or animal attack, do not transport it without talking to a wildlife rehabilitator. Moving a fawn can be detrimental to the animal and increase the risk of disease spread.

That's right, just leave them be. Chances are, Mom is nearby eating, and the fawn is perfectly fine where it is.

What about other 'baby' animals?

The Minnesota DNR has a webpage devoted to what people should do if they find a young 'abandoned' animal, and the advice is pretty good.

• Assess the situation. In many cases, finding young animals on the ground or in a bush or shrub is normal, as the parents are hiding the young animal from predators, or are in the process of moving the baby animal to another nest or location.

Just don't think you can take that baby animal home and rehabilitate it yourself, that is actually illegal to do here in Minnesota, and you can't keep an animal longer than 24 hours if you are transporting it, according to the same DNR webpage.

An unlicensed citizen may NOT attempt to rehabilitate an animal on their own. It is also unlawful to possess or transport injured wildlife for greater than 24 hours unless permitted to do so. - MN DNR

It's also illegal to release non-native animals into the wild in Minnesota.