Roe deer population in Hertfordshire.

Turkish said:

It has beeen some years since i moved away from Hertfordshire. But, back then in the 00's , roe were a rare commodity in the shooting log.

If I shot one or two a year, that would be something. Muntjac , fallow and CWD took up all the beasts shot. CWd were just starting to spread out from Aylesbury and looked like, at the time, being the dominant species for the future.
I understand that this has changed somewhat now.
If you do hunt in Hertfordshire, what percentage of your yearly cull is made up of local roe ? Are they making a locatised comeback ?

Comeback may not be the right choice of phrase. As I am not too sure how wide spread roe were before the 80's and 90's in Hertfordshire when I started stalking.

Any views would be welcomed.

Click to expand...

tiny tim said:

How far North of Aylesbury have the CWD spread?

Click to expand...

Turkish said:

I lived at the confluence of the Herts, Bucks, Beds borders for many years. Roe were unheard of during the 80's. Just started to show in the 90's , but in isolated numbers.
Just before I left for pastures new at the end of the 00's, I had one permission - not far from Hemel Hempsted - that had more than its fair share of roe show up.

These were not the poor strain that I had become accustomed to shooting in East Anglia. These were strong, long antlered , chalice shaped beasts. The does were strong and heavy. The usual larder weight was in the mid to upper teens. There was little pressure from fallow - unlike Ashridge - where roe were in very short supply. I was lucky in the fact that no other shooting pressure in the area impacted on their peace and quiet.

They had also started to show out towards Chesham, Amersham and Chenies. But at that time were still a rarity . Now, all has changed. I see regular posts on FB and other sites from photographers who see roe all the time in these areas. My friends that still shoot in the area are now taking roe on a regular basis.

So, why have they made such a comeback? Muntjac numbers have just increased exponentially. But the roe are gaining a foot hold.

CWD exploded for me when the Aston Clinton bypass was opened up. Until that time I shot CDW on two farms in the area. Both earmarked for compulsory purchase for the project. When they were both decimated by the road works, the population was scattered far and wide. In the space of 10 years, everyone had CDW on their doorstep.

Click to expand...