Deer numbers in the Cotswold have escalated to such a scale now that they are seen as a liability and a nuisance amongst farmers, gardeners and forestry companies. Plus where numbers are high there’s a huge increase in RTAs, it’s for these reasons alone that all responsible landowners should have some measure in place to manage deer within there boundary’s. There are several species of deer in the uk, but in the Cotswold’s and surrounding areas we have three. The largest of our local deer is the
Fallow deer (Dama dama) these are a herd deer species that can range from a few deer to well over a hundred in a group, the males of this species grow impressive palmated antlers. Body weights from 25kg to over 50kg approx. This species of deer is usually found near large forestry blocks and vast arable fields, they can range a good distance over a 24hr period.
The next deer species is the common Roe deer (Capreolus) these are probably the most frequently seen deer, these tend to raid gardens or any parcel of land big or small, these deer can be devastating if left unchecked especially through there browsing or the young bucks fraying there antlers up against young saplings. They are a territorial species so easy to manage if you’ve got them on your land.
And last you have the Muntjac (Muntiacus Reevsi) These deer originated from Asia and were kept in ornamental deer parks like Woburn Abbey from which they made their escape. These deer have learnt to adapt to our countryside and climate remarkebly well hence the thriving numbers in our area as well as most Home Counties. These deer can be quite nomadic so they have a tendency to turn up just about anywhere, the female gestation period is only 7 months and they are known to be pregnant most of the time, they have no breeding season as they breed all year round, and due to there prolific breeding and low mortality rate there numbers have escalated to a high level. Muntjac can have a devastating effect on low ground vegetation and will be first in the que on young shoots of flower.
There’s only really one way of dealing with excess deer and that’s by removing them professionally with a suitable firearm. In the UK we are culling nearly a million deer a year and the population is still growing