The Retriever, Dog, & Wildlife Blog

Posted in wild dogs, wildlife | Tagged white-tailed deer | 5 Comments

5 Responses

1. on January 30, 2013 at 9:47 pm | Reply Gina

   Deer are such beautiful and graceful animals.

   
   
2. on January 31, 2013 at 6:53 am | Reply chervilmeadow

   The woodland immediately surrounding our house here in the chilterns contains three of our resident species of deer: fallow, roe and muntjac. The latter, a typically two foot high immigrant from asia has only been a wild species in the south of England since it escaped from the Duke of Bedford’s park about a hundred years ago. However it has now become the commonest deer in this part of the country, mainly because its small size and tiny rear facing antlers allow it to get easily through suburbia’s ubiquitous hedgerows, it is rarely hunted and breeds all year round, solitary except when escorting its single baby, it eats a lot of things others animal spurn because of toxicity, such as yew and ivy. It is also called the “barking deer” because of the loud doggy sound it makes when contacting potential mates. The main disadvantage to the environment is its liking for too much of the undergrowth. A visit to the deer free Isle of Wight situated off our southern shoreline reveals how lush thing would be without deer. Are they also eating up America in a similar way and in which case since youare all reportedly armed to the teeth are you able tol safely deal with a surplus of deer over there better than us ‘bambi’ loving British?

   
   
   • on January 31, 2013 at 6:55 am | Reply retrieverman

     The fallow deer isn’t native either, but it was introduced by either the Romans or the Normans.

     
     
   • on January 31, 2013 at 5:03 pm | Reply massugu

     Yes the deer overbrowse our terrain–they are particularly destructive of tree seedlings, thus our native stands of oaks are not regenerating..

     As for being armed to the teeth–some of us are, most aren’t, but in any event, hunting is not allowed near to residential areas. And, since, like our British cousins, we’ve eliminated the natural apex predators from our environment, the only controls we have are man-made. One can hope that as the Eastern Coyote population stabilizes, they’ll have some effect on the rising deer population. One doe w/ a fawn is picturesque, herds of two dozen or more, not so much.

     
     
   • on February 1, 2013 at 7:33 am | Reply bearcoatpei

     I live in the North of England in an old coal mining area. I’m a mile out of the town centre on a busy road, but there’s public land turned over to a regional park/green corridor behind the houses. The roe deer are doing rather well and spotted all over the land surrounding town. Some are a little too tame and unconcerned by people, dogs or traffic – someone even talks of hand feeding them from their back yard (I hate that – they’re wildlife not pets and you are risking their lives by habituating them for your own self gratification). I’ve seen them when out with the dog multiple times over about 5 years and often within about 20 feet or less. I’m surprised they’ve not ended up savaged by dogs, shot as venison or roadkill.

     We have muntjac up here too that have introduced themselves. Much shyer, but I’ve seen the odd one a few times in the undergrowth. They’re more welcome than the ex fur farm mink, that’s for sure.

     
     

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