I set up a camera in my yard and the Deerling is still here with no signs on its mother, even at night. I’ve not noticed any trainers with Sawsbuck or any dead ones anywhere. It seems most of them have actually left for some reason. Is it possible for me to adopt the Deerling myself if the mother doesn’t show up after a couple more days, or would it be best to hand over to a pokemon centre? (My Houndoom are actually very good with other pokemon, so that wouldnt be a problem)

If you have room for them and if you were careful to educate yourself on deerling care before this point, it’s actually possible to adopt them if you wish—and, in certain cases, it may be preferable, as the deerling may have gotten used to you or their current habitat.

Here is what you should do first. Go ahead and show yourself to the deerling. You can offer them food at this point but keep your distance. If they come to you, then it’s a good possibility that they’ve gotten used to your scent and that they would actually prefer to stay with you.

In addition, it’s worth it to consider that the deerling may have become accustomed to your yard in general. To determine whether or not this is the case, take note of how they react to you when you introduce yourself to them. If they seem antsy or run away at the sight of you, call your local Nurse Joy and have her come to look at the deerling, if not send a local trainer to fetch them. These are professionals who will be able to determine whether or not the deerling have become accustomed to your yard. If the deerling have, Nurse Joy or the appointed trainer will give you the option to adopt them. If the deerling aren’t accustomed to your yard specifically, then they will attempt to round the deerling up and take them to a shelter.

Ultimately, in this case, it may be worth it to give the deerling a chance to make a decision. If they consider your yard specifically to be their home, it would certainly be worth it to consider adopting them, yes, especially if your houndoom would be perfectly happy with deerling companions.

How long do sawsbuck leave their young alone? I live in front of a forest and theres been a deerling in my backyard for over a day. This is unusual as they are normally scared of my houndooms, so I am a little worried that it could be abandoned.

Sawsbuck generally leave their young in safe areas for hours on end, actually, and if your houndoom have done nothing to harm the local wild pokémon, it’s possible that the sawsbuck still view your yard as a safe place to leave their young. It’s important to keep in mind that most of the time, young deerling are left behind so sawsbuck can journey into more dangerous areas to forage for food without having to worry about their young being picked off by predators (trainers included). You won’t normally see the mother sawsbuck until much later, after the sun has fallen and the area has gotten dark enough to move the deerling without being seen. In some cases, you may think the deerling has been left for over a day, but in actuality, the sawsbuck simply retrieved their young in the dark and left them again shortly before sunrise, when they’re far harder to spot by human eyes.

You’ll know if the deerling has been abandoned, however, if you see signs of orphaning, such as a dead sawsbuck by the road or in the forest. (Sawsbuck with young that can’t fend for themselves will do anything they can to avoid being captured by trainers, but it’s worth it to keep an eye out for visitors with a new sawsbuck on their team as well.) Alternatively, you can watch during the night for any sign of movement, and if, after a week, you still have not seen the slightest hint that the deerling are being moved, then it’s possible that they’ve been orphaned.

In the meantime, yes, keep your houndoom away from the deerling as much as possible. Otherwise, try to avoid interacting with the deerling unless you’ve spotted the above mentioned signs. Young deerling are rarely abandoned, and the last thing you’ll want to do is accidentally cause one to attach itself to you while its mother is gone.

Deerling and Sawsbuck

Deerling
The Season Pokémon
Type: Normal/Grass
Official Registration #: 585
Entry: A deer-like pokémon known for two things: first, its ability to change the color and texture of its coat with the seasons, and second, the fact an entire generation of children was scarred for life upon watching an adorable animated film about a deerling whose mother was shot by a poacher. (Thanks, Pokéstar Studios.)

Sawsbuck
The Season Pokémon
Type: Normal/Grass
Official Registration #: 586
Entry: The evolved form of deerling, by battle experience. Just as deerling’s coat changes with the seasons, so too do sawsbuck’s coat and antlers. In Unova, a good way to tell what season it is would be to look at the plants adorning a sawsbuck’s antlers. Small flowers indicate spring, luscious greens indicate summer, brilliantly-colored leaves indicate autumn, and plain white antlers indicate winter. Of course, a better and far more reliable way of telling what season it is would be to look outside and figure it out based on basic seasonal hallmarks such as snow or hot sun, but who is the writer to judge the ways of the Unovans?