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| DEER STALKING SEASONS EXTENDED | |
| Be aware that the red, fallow, roe and sika deer CLOSE SEASON for female deer in England and Wales; has been reduced by one month. Please remember this when walking in the countryside. Chinese Water deer now have a close season. CWD bucks and does may not be culled from the 1st April to 31st October inclusive. There is still no close season for muntjac. |
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 | TALKING DEER | |
| Deer communicate with each other in various ways. The roar of red deer during the rut is well known, especially since the autumn watch programme on the television last year when the red deer of Rhum were a special feature. It is exciting to watch the stag roaring to warn off challengers and attracting the hinds to him, stimulating them to come into season as he rounds them up. Stags listen to the voices of their opponents and weigh up their chances; the power of the voice gives them an idea of whether a challenge would be successful. Some researchers are helped to assess the size of a population by counting the number of stags heard roaring at the height of the rut. The method is particularly useful in forested habitats such as in Poland.
The call of fallow deer during the rut is quite different to that of red deer. It is a groaning belch that carries for great distances, especially on a quiet frosty morning. His rutting stand is usually surrounded by younger bucks known as satellite bucks, who are vigilant for him as he goes about the business of mating with the hinds as they come into season. The same areas are used as rutting stands for many years.
Sika deer make some amazing sounds including a banshee like wail and a piercing whistle. They have the widest vocabulary of any of the deer species. It can be very alarming to wake up in a sika deer area to hear these incredible sounds, especially if you are not aware of what might be making the noise.
Roe deer bark at any time of the year and the doe will call the buck to her during the rut with a squeaking call that stalkers try to imitate. Roe calls are made and sold commercially.
Muntjac are another species of deer that bark and they are often called the barking deer. They bark loudly and repeat the sound many, many times with only a short pause between each one.
All female deer call to their young and the young deer respond, or vice-versa, and it has been observed that only the mother of any one particular fallow fawn responds to its alarm call. By contrast if a young red deer calls in alarm many hinds are likely to respond to it.
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 | DEER AND WOODLANDS | |
| Britain has over 300 different trees species, their timber being described as hardwoods or softwoods. Hardwood is from deciduous, broadleaved trees (trees that shed their leaves each year), such as oak and beech and confusingly tropical American 'balsa' which feels soft to the touch. Softwood is from conifers, usually evergreen, with leaves shaped like needles such as Scots pine and Sitka spruce.
Conifers produce greater volumes of timber than broadleaved trees, so are grown in commercial forests. Today, to encourage bio diversification, commercial forests also have a number of hardwoods planted within their area.
Woodland is important for many reasons. It provides habitat and shelter for plants birds and animals. Designed and managed properly it can support game bird populations, especially pheasants. The landscape value of woodlands contributes greatly to our environment and the money from timber and related products is important economically.
When establishing new woodlands, tree species have to be chosen very carefully, depending on the site, proposed use and existing trees in the area. Young trees have to be protected from wildlife such as rabbits, hares, squirrels and deer. Protection can be in the form of simple rabbit sleeves to five foot individual protective tubes designed where deer are present. Sleeves or tubes are not effective protection against squirrels or against certain pests and diseases, so the trees have to be carefully monitored and animal species managed and when necessary, culling carried out.
Deer are woodland animals. Even red deer, which are more often associated with moorland habitat, prefer woodlands for the food and shelter that they provide. The new community forests that are being planted provide corridors through which deer can travel to extend their range. Some people will welcome this, others will not. One thing is for sure, we will be hearing far more about the 'urban' deer in the future.
Photograph by Norman Dewhurst
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| DEER FUND ANNUAL RAFFLE | |
| Winners of raffle drawn at the Midland Game Fair Sunday 21st September 2008.
First Prize: Swarovski EL Binocular 8.5 x 42
Generously Donated by Swarovski Optik
Winner: Mr.A Small, ticket No.01187
Second Prize: Framed Print by E M Halstead.
Winner: Mr. Bower, ticket No.01171
Third Prize: Radio/CD Player
Winner: Mr. Bower, ticket No.01172 |
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| CARNIVOROUS RED DEER |  |
| Red deer on the Hebridean island of Rhum have developed a taste for the chicks of Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus. Staff of Scottish National Heritage have discovered large numbers of decapitated and legless chicks around the important breeding colony of the birds which is estimated to have 100,000 pairs, approximately a fifth of the world’s population. There are several theories as to why the deer would eat the chicks. Calcium levels in the vegetation on Rhum are low, the deer may be seeking to alleviate a mineral deficiency in their diet. The impact of this predation on the colony is currently very low. |
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