If there were a competition for saddest Disney movie, Bambi would be tough to beat. The 1942 animated film about a fawn whose mother is shot down by a deer hunter is, for unassuming tots, a brutal introduction to the hard knocks of life, its edges softened only by the cuteness of its woodland creatures and plucky orchestral soundtrack.
Bambi, like many of Disney’s disadvantaged heroes and heroines, ultimately perseveres to make a family of his own. In the spirit of persevering deer everywhere, here is a collection of LIFE Magazine’s most peaceful fawns, does, stags and bucks.
Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.
November 8, 1954 cover of LIFE magazineGjon Mili—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesTourists feeding deer in the Redwood Forest, 1945.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesMother and baby deer stand beside tree, 1946.Dmitri Kessel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesActor Claude Jarman Jr. holds a baby deer for a scene in the movie "The Yearling," 1947.Walter SandersThe LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesA tule elk and key deer photographed circa 1940s.Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesJone Pedersen and Bucky the deer run on the beach, 1948.Jon Brenneis—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesA 15-month-old pet deer named Bucky lies next to a small kitten, 1948.Jon Brenneis—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesTwo men feed deer on the 1,000 acre park at Knole, the ancestral estate of Lord & Lady Sackville, 1949.Mark Kauffman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesA deer stands in a wooded stream with its reflection in the water, 1952.Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesItalian actress Pier Angeli poses with a deer, 1954.Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesPier Angeli poses with a deer, 1954.Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesA deer cools his heels along the Oregon seashore, 1960.
Dmitri Kessel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesRainbow trout rest in a tributary of the Madison River with a fawn drinking at the water's edge. The photo was taken by a camera placed inside a partially submerged glass enclosure, 1961.George Silk—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesA father and son feed a wild deer in Yosemite National Park, 1962.Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesA young boy plays with deer at a petting zoo, 1962.Leonard McCombe—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesAnimal rescuer John Walsh holds onto a deer which he rescued out of the flood waters in Suriname, 1964.Stan Wayman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesA deer with large antlers stands silhouetted against the sky, 1966.Stan Wayman—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesPark ranger holding deer rescued from flooded section of the Everglades, 1966.Lynn Pelham—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesDeer stand in tall grass on Gardiners Island, 1966.Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesA lone white-tailed deer drinks water from the banks of the Cheat River, 1967.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
