{"id":2300,"date":"2021-09-10T10:05:30","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T10:05:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/stamford\/?p=719"},"modified":"2021-09-10T10:05:30","modified_gmt":"2021-09-10T10:05:30","slug":"deerly-beloved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/heart-of-the-county\/deerly-beloved\/09-2021","title":{"rendered":"Deerly beloved"},"content":{"rendered":"

Majestic and graceful, but more than a little skittish when startled. This month as rutting season is underway we ask local deer expert Chris Manning to help us understand the species a little better…<\/h3>\n
\"Image
Image by Wayne Munton, taken in Callan\u2019s Lane Woods near Bourne in late afternoon last month. For more of Wayne\u2019s work, search for #Waynemuntonphotography on Instagram.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s always a treat when, peeping through the trees, you happen to glimpse one of the county wild deer species. Creatures that are renowned for their elegance and grace, deer can also be quite temperamental, and so they\u2019re best considered with respect.\u00a0Happily though you don\u2019t need to venture too far to enjoy them, with estates like Grimsthorpe, Exton and Burghley all home to their own herds, and this month with rutting season underway, the county\u2019s three or four main species of deer are very much visible and very much showing off.<\/p>\n

Sharing a passion for the species is Chris Manning, one of the area\u2019s most knowledgable naturalist for the mammals in our county.\u00a0\u201cFor all species of deer in the county except muntjac, the breeding season is in full swing,\u201d says Chris. \u201cMuntjac tend to breed all year round and the does can conceive again within days of giving birth so whilst you may see baby muntjac, the majority of wild deer will be other species.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur native species are red deer and roe deer. You\u2019ll find red deer around Grimsthorpe whilst roe deer tend to cover the whole county.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFallow deer is also a species found aroudn Stamford & Rutland but these were introduced by Normans and can usually be found in the south west of the region. Unfortunately, there are no sika deer in the county but we do have, of course, muntjac deer and Chinese Water deer.<\/p>\n

Chinese Water deer are very rare; there are only a few in the region, and they\u2019re in Lincolnshire. They\u2019re an endangered species in China, and Britain has around a third of the UK\u2019s entire population. This comes as quite a shock to many as during breeding season, they can produce up to five fawn throughout late May and early June.\u201d<\/p>\n

The more common deer in the county are somewhat different. Red deer are the most distinctive being the largest land mammal in the country. The deer\u2019s summer coat is reddish brown to brown, and the winter coat is brown to grey.<\/p>\n

There are no spots present in the adult coat but there\u2019s the development of large, highly branched antlers in the stag.<\/p>\n

In woodland populations, hinds over a year old give birth to a single calf after an eight month gestation, between mid-May to mid-July each year.<\/p>\n

Roe deer are more active throughout the 24-hour period but make more use of open spaces during the hours of darkness.<\/p>\n

Peak times of activity are at dawn and dusk. Chris refers to these roe deer as \u2018almost nocturnal.\u2019 Roe deer are similar to the red deer at a glance with similar coats in winter and summer months.<\/p>\n

Fallow deer tend to have a tan colour and white spots to their coat. Adults do give birth to a single fawn in June after a gestation of 229 days. Another \u2018almost nocturnal\u2019 species, they tend to be most active in darker periods. They\u2019re also the only species to grow palmate antlers, the flatter looking antlers.<\/p>\n

Muntjac are small, stocky and russet brown throughout the summer. They\u2019re the most distinctive out of all the deer due to their size. They have long pedicles (the base of antlers) but very small antlers which suit their size.<\/p>\n

The closest species of deer to these is the Chinese Water deer. They\u2019re also a small species but somewhat rarer, having only a few in the county. What really distinguishes the Chinese Water deer is that it doesn\u2019t have antlers. Instead, they grow large protruding tusks great for defending themselves in a rut and against predators. They also give birth during May to July after a six to seven month gestation. Up to six fawns may be born, but one to three fawns is more usual.<\/p>\n

\u201cRed and fallow deer are herding animals but what you\u2019 tend to find is that the male herd stays separate the female herd; they only come together during mating season. Muntjac, roe and Chinese Water deer are usually solitary with loose associations to other deer. Because of this, they\u2019re very territorial to other deer in the same species.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDeer can be seen by the public,\u201d says Chris. \u201cOf course, there\u2019s wild deer throughout the county which can be seen from roads, but nature parks are probably the most appropriate way to see them. Grimsthorpe Park is home to red and fallow deer and you can actually walk in and stroke them here. It\u2019s definitely not advised to approach deer in the wild.<\/p>\n

This would be difficult anyway, as they have an extremely keen sense of smell and they\u2019ll usually run away as soon as they sense humans. If you do get close, feeding deer is also ill-advised as it will attract more, which in turn increases the spread of disease\u00a0significantly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, if you ever stumble across a newborn, do not approach it in any way as they\u2019re typically not good on their feet and can\u2019t really use their sense of smell just yet so if they try to run, they could be injured.\u201d says Chris.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re also in the process of learning what their mothers are smelling and doing. The problem with this is that they can easily mistake you for being their mother which is dangerous for both the public, and the deer when the newborn\u2019s mother is concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe newborns we will see around this time of year will start off with a smooth top; the pedicles are the start of antlers, which are made of bone. As they grow, a thick velvet-textured skin called velvet develops over the antlers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis usually develops for most deer around April with roe deer developing antlers in winter months but in August for the majority of deer, the velvet is cleaned.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis means the skin is just removed from the antlers. You\u2019ll then see white bone before they turn brown.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s quite lucky for us and for Lincolnshire\u2019s deer population to have no predators. There are no wolves, lynx, bears or wild boars and so; their biggest threat is us. Cars and other vehicles are their main threat, though there are still culls and of course, poaching. Humans, unfortunately, remain the most deadly threats to deer in the county.<\/p>\n

The area\u2019s most common deer species<\/h2>\n

The most common species of deer in the county are the Muntjac, Fallow and Roe…<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u2022The Muntjac is the smallest deer species, measuring about half a metre the shoulder. Its pelage or fur is bright chestnut in colour during the summer months and in winter, fades to a deep brown or grey. Its bark is quite yappy and it tends to live in denser undergrowth.<\/p>\n

\u2022Fallow deer are about the tallest species, measuring about a metre at the shoulder. Fallow deer come in a range of colours, from chestnut with white spots to dark brown and black. Does have a gruffer, more alarming bark and groan or belch in rut! Woodland is the preferred habitat and they\u2019re the more notorious species for damaging farm crops.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Roe deer are about 75cm and tend to have bright russet or brown fur which darkens slightly in the winter. They have an aggressive bark and are the UK\u2019s only native species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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