I would suggest that the CWD are able to live in much larger groups and at a higher density than the more territorial muntjac, thats why they spread less. I have personally filmed fifty cwd in one field. And yet five miles away there's none. They're two different deer in many regards, living completely opposite lives.
Muntjac Deer Distribution
- Thread starter tom.h
- Start date
Nickb
Well-Known Member
You are being naive. They arrived up North due to deliberate releases , I personally know that dog men caught them down South and released then up North about 20 years ago and also keepers catching them in release pens and transporting them North to their mates.
They didnt get here without help.
if you have such knowledge , why not simply report it then ?
Deerkeeper2
Well-Known Member
When I worked in Norfolk I was asked loads of times if I could supply live muntjac to people in the north of England and the West Country. I always said no but I bet they just kept asking until someone said yes.
So its a guess then ? ! I would have to agree and odd nut job might well have brought an odd couple up but i bet a heck of a lot more have boarded stationary train cartridges ( The muntjac really seems to favour railway embankments ) , then there are HGV trailers parked up empty etc .
Nickb
Well-Known Member
What would be the point in that they're already here.
Personally I would welcome other species of deer up here as I am limited to roe , muntjac would be a great addition.
I know for certain that several muntjac were brought north to Doncaster and released in the same wood in the late 90's.
Nickb
Well-Known Member
And Leeds and Darlington
A) people getting caught and charged/punished creates a deterrent to others e.g. raptor persecution was relatively common at one time.
B) why would any responsible person want to purposefully want to introduce a non native species into already fragile habitats ! smacks of a similar mentality to the old days of raptor persecution!!!
I always thought deer tended to catch a ride up front rather than in the back?
It's also news to me that muntjac, or indeed any other deer species, are itinerant freight-hoppers and hitch-hikers.
The anecdotal evidence of muntjac being purposefully captured and released goes way back, to what we now might view as less enlightened times. I have no hard evidence either, but I have little doubt it took place. Specific methods of capture and release for muntjac were documented as far back as the late 1980's, and muntjac were only added to Schedule 9 of WACA in 1997. Prior to that date, what was to stop you saying you were simply releasing them back into the wild after their recuperation from injuries suffered owing to their inadvertant capture in a pheasant release pen?
How true that is, there is always someone who will do it for a price.
I believe this is down to the chalk belt west of Bedford where they go up to the chalk belt then they sense it is dry so return back the way they have come.
Yup.
The clue is in the name. WATER deer. They have a very strong preference for marsh and swamp, and don’t really tolerate prolonged frosts.
Both muntjac and CWD are quite selective browsers, and need a fairly rich herb and shrub layer - which is why they’ll never really establish in areas with low fertility acid soils (like Scotland).
No matter how many get released, they just aren’t going to become self sustaining over large areas of the UK.
You literally see herds on the side of the A11 through Thetford
CWD live in far colder temps than we get here in the UK in their homeland, that is for sure - that super thick hollow haired coat has not developed for no good reason at all . They can tolerate the very worst of the UK temps and more to be fair !
Muntjac totally different , they would not do well in Northern England and Scotland as the coats are thin compared to our native deer.
China has some very cold harsh weather in their native areas
Thank you. I had got CWD native distribution completely wrong. I had it in my head that they were from South West China/Burma/Vietnam area - so sub tropical. Clearly they’re not! NE China and Korea, as it turns out.
Live and learn.
Which means it must largely be habitat and food that restricts them in the UK.
There must be something about our climate that doesn't suit CWD, because mortality rates a very high.
I think we had this conversation before, and I posted a link to a research document on the subject.
40 years ago I know keepers who were long netting Muntys in Bedfordshire and selling them to guys from the midlands, good cash for keepers. Bedfordshire is the centre of both Muntys and CWD, white van man helped with Munty distribution, CWD mor organic distribution
Nickb
Well-Known Member
There are those that know and those that dont
Dont remember one . To be fair Being based in Northern England and only doing a few trips South each year for CWD . Wild guess its the food / habitat available? I generally go to the area that surrounds Woben and they seem to have a passion for a specific rushy plant that deposits fluff all over as cover / feeding ? Other than that they stand well out in the open in the middle of large fields challenging shooting at times.
One thing that puzzles me is there are far fewer Muntjac when CWD abound on the ground , though again i am only a visitor , Ask me about Sika and i can say a lot more about them as i even get them in the garden
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