Sika V sheep!

Neil M

Well-Known Member
I know that where sheep have grazed Roe will avoid the area for a long time, do sika react in the same way?
 
Last month in a field next to my permission there was a couple hundred sheep and a roe buck & doe. The sheep were spread out and the closest one to the roe was about 60-80 yds. The roe were about 30 yds from the dry stone wall with the woods on my side.
It's not the first time I have seen them in this field with sheep
Wingy
 
sheep will not put sika off in the slightest. I have seen them feeding very close to them on my ground, among them in fact. I also saw dozens of sika feeding among herds of sheep when up north fishing.

In fact, I would go as far as saying that during the rut the sheep become quite wary of the stags and have watched them moving out the way when one appears.
 
As with everyone else I've seen sika feeding in among the sheep and it doesn't seem to bother them in the slightest. It can be a pain though - a black sheep at a distance at last light can look a bit like a sika stag giving cause for unwarranted excitement until you take a second look.
 
I've had brushes with a few estates who have let sheep wander onto my ground, I would agree that they don't put deer off as such but in the far north here where hill grazing areas are in short supply, when sheep get into burns and greens where deer graze they can quickly eat everything in sight which will result in deer no longer using that area until the growth comes back in.
 
I keep over 500 sheep and have never seen deer in with any of them , but roe will be on a field of clover the very next day after sheep are moved off .
 
reds and sika are not as selective feeders as roe but do eat the same grass as sheep. When sheep have been dipped in the old OP dip , it would clear deer of the same grazings for a short while . The reason roe are more noticable after sheep have moved on is that the fresh rise of grass is the most nutritious and with the sheep not there the deer take advantage of this. On the hill the sheep directly compete with the deer particularly the hinds for the available palatable grasses. Cattle are a better fit with deer as they open up rougher vegetation and help to improve the pasture for deer or sheep for that matter.
 
Lake District Swaledale sheep [plus a few Herdwicks on the left top side] and mountain Reds which come down to the lower ground each evening and return early next morning.
I often used to take some into custody before they returned and were harder work to gather up and extract.
HWH.
RedsatMartindale004.jpg
 
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