US 6008
2025 Deer

• Part of Baby Wild Animals set featuring 10 animals
• Each stamp includes elements of animal’s habitat
  
  

Stamp Category:  Definitive
Set: Baby Wild Animals
Value:  73¢, First-Class Mail (Forever)
First Day of Issue:  May 23, 2025
First Day City:  Aurora, Colorado
Quantity Issued:  16,000,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset
Format:  Double-sided Booklet of 20
Perforations: Die Cut

Why the stamp was issued:  This stamp is part of a set of 10 stamps highlighting baby animals with elements of their natural surroundings.

About the stamp design:  Each design features a different baby wild animal.  Tracy Walker created digital illustrations using solid background colors and simple depictions of each animal.  Elements of their environment were added, such as flowers, leaves, or water.  The animals shown are: fox, owl, deer, seal, rabbit, raccoon, bear, skunk, bobcat, and chipmunk. 

First Day City: The stamps were dedicated at the Rocky Mountain Stamp Show in Aurora, Colorado

About the Wild Baby Animals set: Every spring, a new generation of wild animals begins its journey.  Learning to survive in a world of challenges, they are discovering the skills and instincts that will shape their lives.
In the warm daylight, a fawn cautiously steps from its hidden mother, its spotted coat camouflaging it against the dappled forest floor.  Nearby, baby foxes playfully tussle, learning the art of stalking prey.  Baby rabbits nibble on fresh green shoots while a chipmunk scampers up a tree, its cheek pouches filled with seeds.  At the water’s edge, a young seal explores the shore, its small flippers glistening in the light, ready to test the cool waters of the river for the first time.
As dusk falls, the nocturnal young of the wild are learning to navigate the shadows.  In the moonlit forest, young owls stretch their wings, preparing for their first flights.  Their large eyes scan the night, adjusting to the dim light.  Nearby, baby raccoons, their tiny paws moving with remarkable dexterity, search for food, using their sensitive whiskers and sharp senses to uncover insects and fruits.  In the tall grass, a young skunk, still learning how to use its signature spray defense, cautiously explores its surroundings.  A baby bobcat, its spotted coat blending with the shadows, watches its mother, its keen eyes tracking the movement of small prey.
These young creatures are preparing for a life filled with obstacles, but brimming with the promise of discovery, growth, and survival.

History the stamp represents: In the early hours of morning, when the mist clings to the forest floor, a fawn takes its first tentative steps.  Born just a few hours earlier, this delicate creature stands, its legs wobbly but determined.  The forest is still and silent, save for the soft calls of birds in the trees.  The fawn’s coat is a beautiful mosaic of white spots, a natural camouflage that helps it blend seamlessly into the dappled sunlight of the forest.
At this tender age, the fawn is entirely dependent on its mother.  She leads the fawn to the safety of dense underbrush, where it will spend much of the first few weeks, lying motionless to avoid predators.  This incredible stillness, a survival tactic, allows the fawn to remain hidden from the keen eyes of lurking predators such as foxes or wolves.  The fawn spends much of the day alone, while the mother forages for food.
In the coming weeks, the fawn will begin to venture farther, discovering the forest’s bounty.  It will nibble on tender grasses, delicate leaves, and the soft shoots of ferns.  As the days pass, its legs grow stronger, its movements more graceful.  The spots on its coat will fade, but its keen senses – the ability to hear even the slightest rustle of leaves – will remain sharp, preparing it for a life of swift, silent escape.