Tips for seeing wild deer

[dennydrewcook]

Hey guys
So I know their are deer in my local woods a I have seen them dart across the road when in the car but never seen any signs (too loud) any tips for spotting them apart from the obvious sit and wait?


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[SCOMAN]

Turn up before dawn and get yourself settled. Tree lines are good as they sometimes retreat into them during the day. As to tracking them I've never done it but the hoof marks are distinctive. The other advice given to me by a professional deer stalker was go as slow as you think, then slow it down further.

 

[Bowlander]

Get a black lab called Fenton!

 

[Philster]

They do tend to stick to certain areas - once you find an area they like they will tend to be there more often than not. And they always seem to have an "escape route" - it's possible to find the trail they bolt through when they get startled.

 

[artschool]

you could also try dusk. sit where there is a view of a ride or clearing and use binos.

you may also want to check wind direction.

 

[British Red]

They do tend to stick to certain areas - once you find an area they like they will tend to be there more often than not. And they always seem to have an "escape route" - it's possible to find the trail they bolt through when they get startled.

This ^

Just go where the deer are, a lot, when the deer are active. When you have spooked a few on foot (and you will), you will start to know where they hang out. So either get there before them and wait, or try different approach routes and creep in. Deer avoid the heat of the day but love a misty morning or warm late afternoon, look for them then. Alternatively find the "day beds" where they siesta in the middle of the day further in. Then, if you are really good, find the rutting stands. Thats worth watching.

 

[Robson Valley]

I don't believe that camo is as important as staying down wind and learning to move NOTHING but your eyes.
Any dead brush to break up your outline, don't get caught silhouetted against the horizon and watch forest/bush edges.

 

[User3326]

Have a little wander and find where they drink. The soft mud around a pond/lake/river/bog will leave plenty of tracks. Then its just a matter of time.
Dusk or dawn, natural colour clothes, try and stay down wind, use brush and trees to break up your outline, tread quietly and walk/move slowly as you approach a known area. If you sit and wait, find some brush to sit /crouch behind, or a tree to sit/stand up against. Binoculars if you want to see them up real close.

 

[Robson Valley]

I keep forgetting = Stand on my front doorstep in my village. I'll even let you rake up the "deer beans" on my front lawn.
Just don't track that stuff into the house.

The real downside for us is that the local deer (possibly 3 different groups of 3-4 animals, no bucks) are so habituated to village activity
that they make easy targets for cougars. The fear extends to the safety of little kids walking to/from elementary school.
There have been a few 3(?) cougar deer kills, right in the village.

 

[nic a char]

arrange your approach so the wind is in your face, move very slowly & quietly, once you find where they frequent, up a tree is a very good lookout place as it keeps your scent high - where we moved we thought at first that the roe lived some distance away, but have now found them within 1/2 mile of the house.
As a student I worked as a red deer pony-boy then stalker in the red deer "forests" - the big difference with roe is they actually live IN woodlands/forests so while the same basic rules re wind, smell, sight, & quietness all apply, trees make a huge difference.

 

[david1]

spend more time in the woods at dawn and dusk... you see loads, keep still they notice movement but will quite happily walk up closer if you stay still. I must see hundreds of wild deer each year, well the same few hundreds of times

 

[Joonsy]

Different species of deer have different habits. However some general tips if you are walking a woodland. Late evening deer like fallow for example like to leave the woods to feed on open fields during the night, and likewise early morning sees them return to the woods, so walk the perimeter of the wood at this time making sure to keep the wind in the right direction so it doesn’t blow your scent towards them (the wind direction will dictate where you actually start your walk). Take note of where you place your feet, do not snap twigs, walk on gravel tracks, or through mud that makes a sucking noise, always have a good background for your body and do not silhouette yourself against the sky, if opening gates or climbing over them (under is better than over) be very careful that they don’t squeak as you do so and do not twang wire fences. Four things will give yourself away to deer (and other animals), scent, movement, noise, and alarm calls from other animals & birds. Deer react different in woods than in open fields, in open fields they will generally take flight when they spot you usually to the nearest wood but in woods they may take flight but will sometimes freeze instead and stand perfectly still in the hope you will pass them by without seeing them (unless you happen to have a dog with you which will scare them). Lots of people walk straight past deer in woodland without ever seeing them despite being only yards from them. If you see a deer do not point at it and do not make direct eye contact. When walking woodland you have to learn to try to look ‘through’ the wood so to speak, what gives you away to the deer is what gives them away to you too, only they are better at it than us, often a little movement that catches your eye turns out to be a flick of an ear, a different shape in the fauna that catches your attention turns out to be a deer standing perfectly still motionless. It might sound funny but sub-consciously when looking for deer in woods you are really looking for movement and shape and listening for noise such as snapped twigs or the swishing of bracken etc. Deer do also have regular haunts which become apparent when you walk the same area regular, and in woods they spend some time just lying down so don’t just look at one level with your eyes. Best of luck and take advantage now while the undergrowth in the woods is still relatively low as once the bracken and undergrowth grows high it can be harder to spot the deer, likewise the same applies to crop fields. Also I don’t know what type of deer you are hoping to see (or have seen crossing the road), and like I said above different types have different habits, but the next couple of months fallow bucks will be casting their antlers so keep a sharp eye out. ATB

For a bit of practice see if you can spot the two fallow deer bucks in this photo, think ''shape'' and notice how the horizontal back/spine stands out against the vertical tree trunks (pic taken by me last year in wyre forest)

 

[nic a char]

good stuff Joonsy!

 

[oldtimer]

As already said above, I think the main trick is to know where they are going to be. I always look for deer slots whenever I'm out and about. I recall following recent prints for a couple of miles keeping my eyes firmly fixed on the ground only to look up and see a small herd of fallow deer watching me with a distainful eye before turning and running off to cover where they completely disappeared.

A couple of weeks ago, my grandson and I were crossing a field on the way to the river bank to look for otter signs. We were discussing how we were unlikely to see any animals because 1: we were talking in loud voices, 2: we were exposed in the middle of a field, 3: we had the wind on our backs, 4: it was already mid-day, 5: we were on a well frequented dog-walking path. Having come to our firm conclusion, we looked up to see two roe deer about 30 metres away.

I have also spent many hours carefully stalking, mindful of all the sound advice given above and seen absolutely nothing.

Good job one can buy venison in Sainsbury's!

 

[santaman2000]

.......A couple of weeks ago, my grandson and I were crossing a field on the way to the river bank to look for otter signs. We were discussing how we were unlikely to see any animals because 1: we were talking in loud voices, 2: we were exposed in the middle of a field, 3: we had the wind on our backs, 4: it was already mid-day, 5: we were on a well frequented dog-walking path. Having come to our firm conclusion, we looked up to see two roe deer about 30 metres away.

I have also spent many hours carefully stalking, mindful of all the sound advice given above and seen absolutely nothing........

What he said. It's not noise and smells in and of themselves that frighten them away; rather it's noise and smells they sense are out of place. I've seen them completely ignore a farmer on a tractor, yet if he stopped and begun acting as if he were hunting them they'd immediately react.

 

[nic a char]

they ignore regular engine noises - we could approach with 100m in a Snow-Trac, but on foot? 1000m

 

[nic a char]

and winds are fickle = micro-climates

 

[santaman2000]

they ignore regular engine noises - we could approach with 100m in a Snow-Trac, but on foot? 1000m

Yeah, exactly. I've gotten within a few feet in the truck and they just kept browsing. But only if you don't stop. They also tend to ignore horses.

Surprisingly I have pushed them out of their day beds by almost stepping on them. I wasn't looking for them, just happened to be walking there. I believe they knew exactly where I was and decided to remain hidden until it was no longer an option; the same way they do when you're hunting them with a driver and dogs.

 

[dennydrewcook]

Thank you guys very informative😊 today my girlfriend and I were hiking a bit of the north downs close to her home in strood and as we walked threw the farm reserve that actually prompted me to ask because a couple weeks back id followed fresh tracks but never got close enough. Anyway we walked threw into an open field and their stood a fallow deer on the edge of the woodland about 100 yards away. Made my day. To top it off on the return walk I asked her and her dog to tred quietly in hope It may have returned but as we walked around the hill their stood not one but 5 deer including a stag they stood staring at us who clearly stood out for around 5 minutes until the silly dog wanted us to throw him a rock an barked 😐 going to return early tomorrow to the spot and see if we can get closer using given advice. Very happy boy 😀


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[nic a char]

well done - deer are so...