The Deer Hunter

Deer Slots - perhaps the most obvious sign of deer in the wood

This week four of us members did a spot of tracking, searching for the 'spoor' of animals around Wilderness Wood – mostly fallow deer. Our leader in this miniexpedition was a local man by the name of Gazza. However his vowel sounds were distinctly antipodean in origin, lending an exotic Kiwi quality to his instruction (any rugby fan will agree that citizens of that nation always know what they are talking about). With a long white beard and bearing the hooves and antlers of his prey, he was straight out of the Gandalf play book.

Following the venerable Gazza (not to be confused with the similarly named footballing wizzard) we set off along the A-Z trail and before we had even made it to post B he had spotted the hoof prints (slots) of at least one fallow deer. From the sharpness of the imprint (therefore made since it last rained) and the lack of conifer needles lying across it (they rain down constantly at this time of year) he was able to to date the deer's appearance to within the last few hours (and quite possibly whilst we were discussing our tracking expedition not 100 yards away from him!). He went on to elaborate further pointing out that its back foot had made a print which overlapped its front one, a common occurrence with deer.

Deer have been increasingly common in the woods of late, I have spotted several on my weekly visits over the last three or four years, although I generally walk alone (large groups, especially with a dog or excited children, are far less likely to see one). In fact I had never seen one in Wilderness Wood prior to Covid. Then during lock-downs they started to overcome their timidity, with the absence of visitors and their dogs. They are now fully aware of the chestnut browse on offer and far less fearful of humans. Their positions as serious woodland pests is now an open secret.

Deer browse the tender shoots of young tree saplings, nipping the growing points with their sharp lower teeth against the tough 'gum pads' of their upper jaw. Not only does this literally nip the growth of young trees in the bud, but they also browse the young shoots of chestnut coppice stools. This means any growth of the coppice poles so important to the operation of Wilderness Wood is severely impaired. The doe-eyed bambi of Disney fame is not the forester's friend.

The government now realises that this serious pest needs to be controlled and is investing money in the necessary research to expedite this end. Jake and a few other assistants will be assessing the numbers of deer visiting the woods and the level of damage they do. Hence the need to record their tracks, trails and signs. Enter Gazza – The Deer Hunter!

Following Gazza's lead we detect where deer have recently passed through the long grass of the Middle Paddock. The grass has quite obviously been flattened by their passage, but even short grass reveals they passed this way since dawn. A close inspection reveals that the morning dew has been scattered by the brushing of hooves, but is undisturbed where no deer have passed by.

“How do you tell where deer have browsed a twig rather than say rabbits?” I ask.

“Rabbits have upper and lower incisors, so their bite gives a clean cut. However, if you find a residual slither of tissue on the upper edge of the cut (where their softer gum pad doesn't cut it) it is a sure sign of deer browsing.” Is Gazza's sage response.

We pass through the Upper Paddock and the lower paddock in search of perhaps the holy grail of deer tracking – poo! Sure enough Gazza's sharp eyes spot a cluster of small rounded 'grapes'. Lifting one for us to examine he points out the flattened facets of the deer 'grape', the slightly elongated shape of it and the nipple-like point at one end. Squeezing his shiny, dark-brown prize gently between finger and thumb it is apparent that this one is freshly deposited. We all get to feel for ourselves (but fortunately he doesn't ask us to use our sense of smell or taste!).

Suitably enlightened we move on to the Christmas Tree Field where further evidence of deer damage is to be found – a christmas tree that has been pretty well smashed to pieces. It is only 3 weeks or so since the deer rut finished. The rut involves stags competing for females, with the winner getting to sire any offspring. They spend the year from spring onwards growing new sets of antlers to show adveraries how strong they are. The more points to their antlers the more commanding is their presence to females and competing males alike. Our stripped christmas tree is the victim of at least one stag showing off his prowess by using his antlers to smash the six foot tall tree into near matchwood.

“Don't mess with the big feller.” Is what he is saying to any passing competitor. I make a note of the statement and will be sure to give any I may happen to meet a wide berth.

Jake points out an area of grass which has been flattened, quite possibly where a deer has spent the night. This is yet another potential indication of deer presence, although fox and badger are other prime suspects.

Our tour of the woods takes us to the fence surrounding the Bat Park Conservation Area. No deer are to be found in this area now that our Stewardship Saturday members group have completed ringing it with a deer-proof fence. In 2018 we planted saplings in the hope of growing a hedge. We even added rabbit guards to deter them from nibbling the young trees. Alas the guards were only 9 inches tall and no match for the 'Covid Deer' of 2020 onwards. Most of the saplings have been nipped (although some species appear less affected eg. Guelder Rose and Dogwood) . Thankfully they are recovering now, due to the deer fence. However, there are signs that deer have tried to jump the fence, with sporadic dents in the otherwise smooth line of the fence.

We come across more tracks, more dung and more browsing. One of the more popular species to be browsed is sallow. This is a member of the willow family, which produce salicylic acid in their leaves. This is an active ingredient of asprin and you have to wonder if deer are aware of the pain-killing properties of this plant?

At a collection of some 50 or so sweet chestnut coppice stools we find incontrivertible evidence of commercial deer damage. One of Jake's measures of deer damage is to estimate the proportion of young sweet chestnut twigs stunted by deer browsing. A sample count reveals somewhere in the order of 10-15% damage done.

As the day light fades we complete Jake's proposed sampling trail having identified tracks, deer browsing, deer poo, antler inflicted damage, deer trails through vegetation and even a few hairs left by passing animals as they attempt to leap barbed-wire fencing.

Thanks to Gazza's generous transfer of deer knowledge we are better placed to assess the number of deer, the damage they cause and consider a suitable anti-deer strategy for Wilderness Wood. In the meantime Gazza will return to his day job culling deer for local landowners and putting venison on the table for anyone looking for an alternative to turkey for Christmas.