Rotary cutting / land maintenance questions

[Zebrafive]

If mowing a small area, see if you can get someone to walk ahead of the tractor when the fawns are young. I prefer to want until after May/June, then the fawns are big enough to get up and run and usually do. I see them get up and move into unmowed areas as I mow.

 

[Dog Gone It]

Thanks again for all the great replies.
Ive learned that there are no real generic answers for me because everyone's land, soils, and wildlife expectations are different.
Im going to reach out to my local agriculture department, and I hope to combine their help, with those on here.

 

[nybirdman]

If mowing a small area, see if you can get someone to walk ahead of the tractor when the fawns are young. I prefer to want until after May/June, then the fawns are big enough to get up and run and usually do. I see them get up and move into unmowed areas as I mow.

The big farmers rig cuts a 30' wide at 15mph even the adult deer better be on their toes to avoid;grass is at least 3' high;fawns don't have a chance.

 

[Zebrafive]

The big farmers rig cuts a 30' wide at 15mph even the adult deer better be on their toes to avoid;grass is at least 3' high;fawns don't have a chance.

Around here I see 15' batwing mowers. I know they mow faster then I do.

I use a 6' cutter and mow about 5mph, plus I wait until end of June. early July to give them more of a chance. So far, knock on wood, I have not hit any fawns.

 

[amaxwell]

I mow in early June after the grass has seeded ,but before the weeds have seeded. Then again in late September to get the late weeds , this gives the grass time to green up again before frost which is mid October.

 

[Richard]

I've been cutting things around here for maybe 20 years. Never seen a fawn in my way (never even entered my mind, I'm glad to read about it so I might be more observant)

I did once however, chop up what I think was a reasonably large black snake.... (or a snake of some kind)....all I really know is all the sudden, the 5' mower hit something and bits of snake came raining down on me as it went flying everywhere.

Sure would hate to run over a fawn.... my wife would go apoplectic if that happened.

Using a 15' mower now instead of the old 5'. Usually keep an eye open on one side to keep the cut line going... if there was something laying on the other side, I'm guessing might be easy to miss.