The story of The Yearling takes place in the 1870s in the untamed wilds of inland Florida. The Baxter family has settled in a clearing of pines near the "scrub"—a deeply forested stretch of land enclosed by rivers, surrounded by marshes, and inhabited by hundreds of wild animals and birds. Here, isolated from their moonshiner neighbors arid the world at large, the family leads a hand-to-mouth existence, fighting against the constant threat of bears, panthers, wolves, rattlesnakes, and inclement weather. Water is scarce and must be carried from a large sinkhole.

Survival depends on hunting, both to provide food and to protect the crops and livestock.