How far North are Muntjac these days

[Mungo]

Never had a confirmed sighting N Lancs/S Cumbrias as far as I am aware-prepared to be put right on that. Some have been occasionally reported, investigated and found to be likely roe kids. I suspect there is the odd deliberate release but not a breeding population.

As you say - no real evidence on the west side of the Pennines.

 

[Mungo]

If they get to Penicuik Estate its only a short hop to the major forests in Tweed Valley

I don’t think there’s much risk of them establishing upstream of Kelso. They don’t seem to survive in commercial conifer forest.

Sika are the issue in there!

 

[Heym SR20]

I don’t think there’s much risk of them establishing upstream of Kelso. They don’t seem to survive in commercial conifer forest.

Sika are the issue in there!

Muntjac are native to deciduous woodland. They are principally browsers and need a decent understory to browse on. The are not grazers like red or sika.

Conifer plantations really offer very little in the way of food for browsing animals. Conifer is not very good palatable. Really the only food is what grows in the rides and odd bits of clearings - fine for red and sika, but hardly surprising that browsers such as muntjac wouldn’t survive.

Deciduous woodland along river valleys and indeed roads and railways another thing entirely.

 

[Mungo]

Muntjac are native to deciduous woodland. They are principally browsers and need a decent understory to browse on. The are not grazers like red or sika.

Conifer plantations really offer very little in the way of food for browsing animals. Conifer is not very good palatable. Really the only food is what grows in the rides and odd bits of clearings - fine for red and sika, but hardly surprising that browsers such as muntjac wouldn’t survive.

Deciduous woodland along river valleys and indeed roads and railways another thing entirely.

Yes

 

[Heym SR20]

As you say - no real evidence on the west side of the Pennines.

I suspect Muntjac are totally good with dry cold weather. Not sure if they can flourish on our western wet and muddy western side of the country.

 

[thistledeyke]

They are right through( Lincolnshire up to the Humber Bank. My brother has seen dead muntjac on both the on and off ramps to the Humber Bridge at Barton.

As far as I am aware there are non in East Yorkshire.

From Goole there are a number of shipping canals radiating west and south with steel piled banks which are effective / deadly barriers for muntjac. Although there are of course bridges.

I've not seen any myself but reliable sources tell me they have been seen in Holderness area towards the coast.

 

[slider]

I don’t think there’s much risk of them establishing upstream of Kelso. They don’t seem to survive in commercial conifer forest.

Sika are the issue in there!

Oh yes! There are plenty of them

 

[Disco Stu]

Friend of mine has seen one in central Lancashire

Have a few on a small and difficult permission in Lancashire. Motorway, school, houses, river valley and woodland / scrub I don’t have permission on surrounding. Same landowner also found a dead one on some other land on the opposite side of the motorway & river. It was brought back to his yard for me to ID as he didn't know what species it was.

 

[Drstalk]

They are right through( Lincolnshire up to the Humber Bank. My brother has seen dead muntjac on both the on and off ramps to the Humber Bridge at Barton.

As far as I am aware there are non in East Yorkshire.

From Goole there are a number of shipping canals radiating west and south with steel piled banks which are effective / deadly barriers for muntjac. Although there are of course bridges.

I am in North Yorks and not seen one up here or had one on a trail cam. As you say Humber/Trent etc must be a significant barrier to them so you would assume they'd be more likely to spread from Leeds/Castleford direction - I have only heard a couple of dubious mentions of sightings in this area however

 

[Rake Aboot]

They aren’t in Scotland
I’ve heard all the rumours but to date no one has provided any evidence of them being here .

The Torness road kills I also think are an urban myth
If a Muntjac had been killed there I’d have known as it would have spread like wildfire . That and I drove that road daily for decades and the place is polluted with Roe and nothing else.
I may also have wandered the vast majority of that area in darkness with lamps and seen all the wildlife their is to see there
And no Muntjac

 

[Rake Aboot]

Known Muntjac in Scotland for sure , Thing is one or two in a place with Muntjac are likely not going to be noticed until the population is very healthy .
Its said Muntjac cannot be stopped and will become the most prolific deer in the UK .

Where ?

 

[Mungo]

They aren’t in Scotland
I’ve heard all the rumours but to date no one has provided any evidence of them being here .

The Torness road kills I also think are an urban myth
If a Muntjac had been killed there I’d have known as it would have spread like wildfire . That and I drove that road daily for decades and the place is polluted with Roe and nothing else.
I may also have wandered the vast majority of that area in darkness with lamps and seen all the wildlife their is to see there
And no Muntjac

I was never convinced by the Torness reports, but so many people who are usually at least half way reliable swore blind they’d seen them that I was willing to accept it might have been real, at least for a couple months.