Fallow Deer or Sheep ?

[deeps]

Could somebody tell me how to differentiate between fallow deer tracks and sheep tracks. I am in an area where we have deer in the fields which are full of winter sheep and sheep escaping into the woods where the deer hide up.

 

[robin wood]

Fallow have pointy toes sheep more rounded, need a good clear track though.

 

[Spaniel man]

As Robin says, fallow deer prints are more tapered and pointy at the front, sometimes you get dew claw marks in softer ground, also their walking gait causes registration. i.e. tracks on top of other tracks. This does not happen in domestic sheep. Hope that helps a bit.

 

[robwolf]

sheep have rounded ends and straight cleaves

 

[Shewie]

There`s good illustration of a fallow deer print here ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/wildbritain/field_guides/pdf/animal_tracks.pdf

This is a good resource to bookmark ...

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/animal-tracks

 

[poddle]

Generally deer like to keep clear of land that is being grazed by other animals.
They hate the contaminated ground that is caused by the dropping left by sheep or cattle.

 

[Joonsy]

Generally deer like to keep clear of land that is being grazed by other animals.
They hate the contaminated ground that is caused by the dropping left by sheep or cattle.

i agree with that, in the Mortimer forest area around Ludlow it's noticeable how the deer are rarely seen in the same fields as sheep, however i have seen fallow regularly on a field with horses in Wyre forest, i have never known the reason why they steer clear of livestock only that it is too regular to be coincidence. Put sheep on a field and the deer go elsewhere.

 

[robin wood]

That's interesting. I have only really known two deer populations, the fallow herd at Hatfield Forest in Essex certainly shared their grazing with cattle and my local red herd share grazing with sheep. Maybe they don't have so much choice? maybe in lowland farming areas the sheep are fenced in and can't get to the better grazing on the other side of the fence? Most grazing animals prefer to browse than graze given the chance, maybe just the sheep just can't jump as high.

 

[Ogri the trog]

Most stock hands around here would say,
sheep tracks normally end in a dead sheep - them being the only animal that sets out every day to find new ways of dieing.
I've heard about the registration thing but I'm nowhere near qualified enough to comment.

ATB

Ogri the trog