getting deer released onto you land

griffshrek

Well-Known Member
hello all, this may sound like the most stupid question in the world but , i dont know.

On one of the farms i shoot over the land owner (who knows i do a little bit of stalking)has said he would like to get some deer onto his land, his ground is very animal/wildlife friendly

the farm is 2500 acres of fantastic deer friendly land plenty of crops loads of cover lots of woods a real nice bit of ground which is also surrounded by land that is the same. The problem is it is in S Wales and there has not been any deer there since the stone age.

the land would be best suited for Roe and Muntjac (i know there would be probs with munties)and could cope with some fallow, how do i go about if possible to get roe deer for the land.

pros-cons

Con-as with most slightly excentric million heirs he is tight as a drum skin, but might part with some cash. i know i could not legally release Muntjac on land .

Pro's - land is outstanding for deer , land owner has no issue with crop damage (wants to see deer) and would even plant crops make it extra deer friendly, transport to collect deer from anywhere not an issue , deer not to be shot

i have contacted BDS and asked the same question but was just shouted at by snotty nosed woman.

what i wondered was do deer get released onto new land from deer santuaries etc, and does any body know about this subject.

this is not just a back handed way of me getting deer onto land i already shoot but a genuine question , i dont think that if deer did get released they would ever get to over population numbers on the land as they would spread onto the surrounding land.

i look forward to any replies........................neil
 
Releasing roe, red or fallow is no problem so it's just about getting a supplier. Red are easiest since commerical deer farms will usually sell on live for dead weight + vat ish.

Fallow next and park deer can sometimes be bought with a similar relative value to reds.

Roe on the other hand are a bitch to trap without injuring the little beasties because they are softer bodied. Not being a herding or large species, commercially they are not available in the same way. Occassionally with the right amount of donation, live roe from rescue centres can be relocated but if it was for 'shooting' it wouldn't happen. For establishing new populations in suitable habitat areas that would be fine.

Your plan should be to aim for as many females as you can affort with few males. Obviously though you would hope the males were good stock but you'll pay a lot for good adult beasts so patience and getting young stock is the way to go with fingers crossed.

In all cases once deer are let loose you need to have a containment plan whether it's fencing or feeding but one thing's for sure the welsh boys will soon know that they're there. ATB
 
You could get a penned off area and offer the land to all the animal charities that help RTAS once fixed up release them .Or you could buy in a few red calves cost at this moment are about 80 -120 pounds each and then once settled in and breeding a couple of years open the gate and let them have the run of the area. I don't see any problem with the release,s .Aliens eg munt chink sika etc no chance at all.


Sorry paul posted at the same time
 
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oh and I heard a storie about a 'rescue' centre that had a fair few muntjac coming in for various reasons would 'let them go' when cash was flashed. Now I'm not saying this is fact but maybe that can explain the source of where some populations that just sprung up from nowhere came from?

I'm certainly not saying you should do this either! :(

haha these things happen choc!
 
You might consider sika. I have sika and red in an enclosure and the reds become like pets after a while and do alot of damage. The sika are more independent and do less damage which I would have thought suited your circumstances. However they are less prolific than the reds. If you simply want deer that can adapt are are not to concerned about damage then the reds are simple to please and breed well.
 
Whereabouts in South Wales is the ground? I ask because with roe and muntjac aggressively expanding their ranges within Wales towards the west right now, particularly along the M4 corridor, it may not be long before they arrive naturally.
 
Hi Neil,

I'm looking at doing something along similar lines myself over the next couple of years so will watch the thread with interest.

Try Margam Park as I am lead to believe that they occasionally sell off their cull animals. The price is based on the field dressed carcass weight if the animal were culled. Transport costs extra etc but being so close that wouldn't be that much I guess.

Try David Brown on here. He did something similar a short while back.

Regards

Rocky
 
that's interesting to hear Rocky, that definitely brings my ideas for Ceredigion beasts into the realm of the possible. I was thinking of "supplementing" an existing population, you know where.;) A few yearling hinds at deadweight prices would certainly be feasible, and as you say, transport from Margam, would be easy, an hour and a half to the woods from there, and I can have use of a suitable trailer too.
 
Worth reading the Deer Act, i.e the taking of deer in close seasons! Also the wildlife and countryside act prohibits the releasing of animals in the wild which are not indiginous.
 
I would love there to be a deer population on the Isle of Wight where they have been none for hundreds of years. The woodland trust and national trust are dead against it as they say the Islands habitat is unique in that it has developed with no deer damage!
Matt
 
Mark Steel at Woolas Hall on Bredon Hill has captive fallow. Which in the great scheme of things is not too far away from you.
They are bred for meat, so are handled and more easily moved.

Spetchley Park, just outside Worcester also have park fallow.

Roe are going to be more of a problem, but somebody has got to know something about sourcing them. There are schemes to get rid of urban roe, perhaps trawl through the net and ask councils who have a deer problem if they want rid of some?

ft
 
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