So, here are a couple of questions about deer behaviour, stemming from two things that puzzled me over the last season... plus my guesses (never know, I might have hit the mark). Would be very interested to hear what people think.
1. Roe - why do they sometimes bark when they spot you and sometimes just dash off? This has actually puzzled me for a while. My feeling has been that they bark when you get closer and closer and then they suddenly work out it's a human and he's sneaked right up on them, whereas they just dash off without barking when they don't know what the hell you are but you suddenly appeared and they need to run smartish.
2. Red - are hinds and young scared of foxes? Because I was getting myself ready to take one or two from a large herd when they all started running. This was at the forest edge across a clearing - there is no way they could have smelt or seen or heard me (I was down-wind, it was blowing strong, I was motionless, in a bush - they weren't even looking my way). Then a couple of roe came bouncing out of the forest too. I spotted something slinking along - couldn't quite make it out - and heard a fox call a couple of mins later. Could a fox have prompted them to run!?
Anyway, thanks for your thoughts!
1. Roe - why do they sometimes bark when they spot you and sometimes just dash off? This has actually puzzled me for a while. My feeling has been that they bark when you get closer and closer and then they suddenly work out it's a human and he's sneaked right up on them, whereas they just dash off without barking when they don't know what the hell you are but you suddenly appeared and they need to run smartish.
2. Red - are hinds and young scared of foxes? Because I was getting myself ready to take one or two from a large herd when they all started running. This was at the forest edge across a clearing - there is no way they could have smelt or seen or heard me (I was down-wind, it was blowing strong, I was motionless, in a bush - they weren't even looking my way). Then a couple of roe came bouncing out of the forest too. I spotted something slinking along - couldn't quite make it out - and heard a fox call a couple of mins later. Could a fox have prompted them to run!?
Anyway, thanks for your thoughts!