Red Deer sightings

[mark a.]

My wife used to go to Scotland very regularly when she was younger, and would always keep a lookout for Red Deer. Back then (let's say 10 years ago) the deer were always teeny browish and whitish dots high up on the mountainside - you never got close to any.

But nowadays it seems you can't get away from them. In the last 2 weeks we saw hundreds, and some of them you didn't even need binoculars to see them! In fact, a few times we walked past small herds grazing only 50 meters or so away from us, and another time we almost drove into one (we discovered that they can run about 30mph!).

Are red deer becoming more numerous? Or just more tame, so will come lower down the mountains and nearer humans? Is this a good thing, or is it a sign that we need more deer hunting (or wolves!) to keep the population down and stop them eating all the countryside?

Unexpectedly, we also saw goats for the first time (high up on a cliff edge, naturally). We didn't know they were around. I've only managed to find out that they were probably farmed animals that have gone wild, but don't know any more than that. Does anyone have any more info on them?

Thanks!

Mark

 

[stuart f]

I remember quite a number of years ago whilst walking the West Highland Way,that when we reached Kingshouse the red deer were coming around the hotel and eating out of your hand in the car park.

 

[mark a.]

Ah, so perhaps it's not new at all. I'm surprised as it seems much easier now to get close to red deer than even a few years ago. Still, nice creatures!

 

[leon-b]

i have never seen a red deer down here where i live only seen a munjak
has anyone else seen one down here in suffolk

 

[Labrador]

Hi,
the answer is yes, Red Deer are becoming more numerous to the point that the Deer Commission for Scotland has taken some drastic action in the recent past involving helicopters & slaughtermen with rifles (I use this word advisedly as I have great respect for genuine deer stalkers whose primary interest is to manage the herd responsibly). The DCS are also considering further action, although probably not the disasterous PR gaff they undertook before, as the levels of deer population are deemed to be affecting native flora.

Leon-b, if you take a trip up to Dunwich Heath at night you will see some magnificent Red Deer (walk the track from the junction by the water tower just off the A12 through to the back of Walberswick)!

Hope this sheds a little light on your question, I'm sure someone with a little more knowledge may be able to offer more answers!

 

[leon-b]

yes thanks i went for a 5 mile walk throught dunwich
i went past the eels foot if you know where that is and just a little bit away from us was a herd of deer but not sure what type

 

[fred gordon]

I live deep in red deer country and there certainly are more than there used to be. This is largely because many large Highland Estates see deer stalking as one of their major sources of income. As a result they are encouraged to breed and not enough are culled each year. Many of them starve to death each winter as their is not enough food in their habitat to sustain them. Good food source for the raptors though! As a result they are forced on to lower ground and come into conflict with farmers and winter crops. It has been estimated that about 50-75% of the herd needs to be culled to get the herd back to a size where it is not destroying its own habitat. If you drive up some Scottish glens, for example around Breamar, you can see many hundreds of there beasts almost any day. Great for the tourists but spare a thought for them and their food supply. They really do need to be culled and culled drastically. However, this is not a very popular notion with the general public who like to see lots of Bambi like creatures through the Highlands.

 

[mark a.]

That's really interesting Labrador and Fred. I must admit I did get the impression that there were too many, but I wouldn't have imagined that they're over twice overpopulated! Being an Englishman used to our rights of way restrictions, I did sometimes feel a bit weird wandering through random bits of hills and glens off the beaten track leaving footprints as I go, but then I just had to think about all the deer walking everwhere and eating as they go too!

Must be blimming expensive to cope with the deer. Yes, they get money from stalking, but around the Torridans they're erective miles upon miles of deer fencing to get the old forests back without them being eaten.

If they are starving to death, it might also explain the fact that I also saw way more Golden Eagles than in the past. Lots of nice food for them!

 

[fred gordon]

Always thought there was a business opportunity selling 'Bambiburgers' but I'm not sure the British public are ready for that yet!