Roe Deer Track and Sign.

[Bushwhacker]

These pics are all Roe Deer. It would be great if people could add others.

Print in the sand showing 'direct register' the rear print is inlaid on the front print.
1843

Fresh Droppings.
1844

More fresh droppings but in a different form. The clumpy formation is because the deer has been eating softer foods - young leaf shoots and the like.
1845

A Deer scrape - they like to sleep on bare ground so will rake up the leaf litter.
1846

Closer inspection of the scrapes reveal some moulted hair. Deer hair is hollow and brittle.
1847

[Bushwhacker]

A Deer has rubbed itself up against here.
1848

Some more slots. This is in soft mud at the base of a bank. You can see how the toes have splayed out as the deer has applied pressure to jump up the bank.
1849

A rather unfortunate Deer that succumbed to traffic in the end. This one had been limping around on 3 legs for quite some time, the front left is also broken as a result of being hit.
The dishevelled appearance is due to moulting the winter coat.
1850

[Metal mug]

Again, great thread bushwhacker. It's amazing how deer survive when they lose a leg. There used to be one down our way, saw it for years.

[Aaron Rushton]

i may go on a tracking course soon. it seems such a lost art. the deer dosent look to old, did you check it out for eating?

[fish]

loads of deer round here its funt to track them,we did it in the snow last year the kids loved it when we flushed the deer.

[Bushwhacker]

the deer dosent look to old, did you check it out for eating?

One of last years young.
Meatwise I had plenty in the freezer so this kept the ferrets fed for quite some time.

[MikeWilkinson]

Thanks for this Bushwhacker. Has helped me confirm some tracks I found wednesday (no Photos unfortunately, will go back to the area and search for some more).
We should ask Ashley to open up a sub section just for tracking and animal sign and keep them all together.

[Adam Savage]

Great thread mate, thanks for sharing some of your knowledge. Was out in the woods earlier today and heard a Roe "barking". Thought it was a fox until it jumped out and bounced off through the wood lol. Just trying to upload it to share.

[Adam Savage]

Roe Deer Barking


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ncdV5xjy2s

[jus_young]

Well I just learnt something new. I often hear this sound in the woodland around my place and I just assumed it was foxes!

[Adam Savage]

Well I just learnt something new. I often hear this sound in the woodland around my place and I just assumed it was foxes!

Same here. After seeing him, I checked on the net about it. Now I notice the fox distress call is higher pitched than the roe, but they are pretty similar.

[Bushwhacker]

That means he/she knew you were there and was belting out a warning to the others.

[Adam Savage]

That means he/she knew you were there and was belting out a warning to the others.

I thought as much. She didn't seem overly threatened by me, as she bounced and weaved a few hundren metres out of sight, then I saw her again as I walked along the trail, where she did the same again. She was surprisingly quiet making her way through the leaf litter and over dead fall.

[jus_young]

I thought as much. She didn't seem overly threatened by me, as she bounced and weaved a few hundren metres out of sight, then I saw her again as I walked along the trail, where she did the same again. She was surprisingly quiet making her way through the leaf litter and over dead fall.

When down at Dave Budds we apparently had visitors during the night. There were quite a few deer tracks, don't know which ones as my tracking is non existent, but I hadn't heard a thing. I suppose this is more necessity for them as noise attracts preditors.

[Bushwhacker]

Roe buck with one antler.


http://s883.photobucket.com/albums/ac40/Bushwhacker78/?action=view&current=PICT0036.mp4

[Adam Savage]

How does something like that come to be Paul? Is it just part of development, waiting for the other to catch up, or has it been lost in a struggle of some kind?

Great little clip mate. It's cool the way they catch a glimmer of the IR illuminator, out of the corner of their eye, then look up to check :)

[Bushwhacker]

They shed them every year in the onset to winter and re-grow them.
They chew on the shed antlers to gain nutrients.

[Adam Savage]

Thanks buddy. I only ever knew reindeer shed their antlers, never realised roe did it too :)

[Bushwhacker]

Here's a video from last week of a Roe doe and one of last years youngsters.
The squirrel in the background gave her a bit of a startle.

Note that tracking sign here would include browsing on the leaves and the slippage on the log.


http://s883.photobucket.com/albums/ac40/Bushwhacker78/?action=view&current=PICT0056.mp4


http://s883.photobucket.com/albums/ac40/Bushwhacker78/?action=view&current=PICT0057.mp4

[Adam Savage]

Nicely captured.
I don't know why, but I'v never seen a squirrel near deer before, only in films lol.

[Bushwhacker]

Bloody squirrels are a royal pain, they take up far too much precious space on my SD card.

[Adam Savage]

Need a man with an air rifle, to come sort a few out? :D

[MikeWilkinson]

Had a really pleasant evening out with the mutts last night, stumbled across these, a couple of days old.

4620

4621

Followed them for a while till I found some fresher ones (couldn't get a good photo on the phone!) About an hour and a half later of following sign, heard some barking from the side of a big old fallen willow, and spotted the culprit hunkered down in the undergrowth.

Watched him for about 10 mins till the wind switched directions and he picked up on the scent of the mutts and took off into the woods.
It was only then that the hounds noticed him and started barking like mad at the end of the lead.

A thoroughly enjoyable few hours, totally concentrated on the task at hand, made all the more memorable in the fact that the mutts spooked a hare on the way back to the car as well.

[moontanboy]

Wow, great vids and pics.
I'm glad I have now heard a Roe barking, would probably "brick it" if I heard that on a solo trip to the woods and hadn't watched this.

I found a good spot in some local woods where (hardly any) dog walkers go,this certainly helps with tracking hoof prints etc, most visits I see upto 4 different Roe.

Thankfully the Roe never seem to bark where I go, so either used to humans walking through their patch, or I'm good at walking silently and keeping the wind in the right place.
Will try and post some of my pics if the file sizes aren't too big.

P

[moontanboy]

4805
4806

I could literally lose months watching these magical creatures!
P

[moontanboy]

Here's another pic, female Roe taken on one of the few sunny days we've had in the Thames Valley.

5045

[Bushwhacker]

You can see what difference a month makes between those pics. The first one still shows the moulting going on (the grey tatty bits) and the recent one shows a most stunning coat.
Perhaps not the same animal, but if taken in the same area, they would all be at a similar stage.

[moontanboy]

Bushwhacker, thanks for the feedback always appreciated. This was in the same area as the first couple of pics, so far I have seen upto 2 different Roe females and one male Roe. Think there is also a muntjack or two have only spotted one male but was so skilled at hiding out in grass / bracken I could'nt get a pic .. yet.

I'm starting to appreciate how lucky I am having found this location, its a woodland near me and although it covers a largish area the part without dog walkers is quite long and thin so the deer are enclosed to a certain extent and much easier to spot. I have attempted to do some tracking in more open woodland in other areas and have found it much more difficult to find them. But with a good field guide and people like yourself willing to share knowledge and tons of pics I'll get there.

My funniest encounter to date was attempting some badger watching with a mate on a rickety bushcraft style a frame bench, A roe male crept up and barked at us resulting in both of us shifting weight and promptly cracking the crossmember we were sat on. Needless to say the thud our cocyx's made scared off any Brocks.
Paul

[Adam Savage]

Not sure about all deer, but muntjac are very inquisitive animals. If you know one is ahead of you, or nearby, crouch down slowly, pick up a stone, and start tapping it against another stone. 9 times out of 10 the deer will raise it's head and stare at you for a while. If you had a way of making that noise while holding and aiming a camera, it's a great way to get pics of them.

[moontanboy]

Cheers Saint, will have to try that out next time. Cue visions of me gaffa taping stones to my elbow and torso ... If I have any luck I'll get some pics up.

As I have seen one male Muntjac does anyone know if its sensible to assume there would be a female hiding somewhere to ?

[Adam Savage]

You're welcome MB.

Not too sure about that one. It might be that the young male has found his own "spot", which he has decided is his territory, but even then, you'd imagine a female to be not too far away. There are certainly a lot of muntjac around the country, so chances are there will be more of them there.

[Bushwhacker]

Cheers Saint, will have to try that out next time. Cue visions of me gaffa taping stones to my elbow and torso ...

There's no need really, any type of noise will make them look in your direction if you've got it in your sight.
If you want to get them in from afar, use a hunter's deer caller. They'll actively come searching then.

[Adam Savage]

What if you're a poor bushcrafter, who's spent all his/her money on cider, and can't afford a deer call :p

[AL...]

What if you're a poor bushcrafter, who's spent all his/her money on cider, and can't afford a deer call :p

They could always sing :D

Cheers
AL

[Adam Savage]

...What shall we do with the drunken shrafter, what shall we do with the drunken shrafter...etc :p

[AL...]

...What shall we do with the drunken shrafter, what shall we do with the drunken shrafter...etc :p

WAIT!!!! I'll get the Guitar ....................... Ok and a 1 and a 2 and a 1234. ...GO :happy-clapping:

Cheers
AL