Reds in Wiltshire?

J111

Well-Known Member
Are there any Reds in Wiltshire? Reason I asked is that I was just having a pint in a pub near Corsham and the bloke behind the bar was adamant he had seen red stags in the fields nearby to which I said bah - bollox there is only roe and munties around here. I have never seen anything other than munties and roe around the Bath/Chippenham area apart from the Fallow that I think are farmed near Swindon. Am I right or are there odd pockets of other deer about?
 
I think there are a few Reds escaped from a college somewhere near CALNE ....my mate has seen them.
 
There are Reds along with the Fallow at the deer farm just outside of Swindon (right next to M4).

Like you however J111, I've only ever seen Roe around Chippenham/Calne/Corsham and until today funnily enough, have only seen slots of Muntjac.

I'm just looking forwards to when the Fallow finally spread north of Chippenham, I haven't got either the gear or inclination to handle big reds :old:
 
There are Reds along with the Fallow at the deer farm just outside of Swindon (right next to M4).

Like you however J111, I've only ever seen Roe around Chippenham/Calne/Corsham and until today funnily enough, have only seen slots of Muntjac.

I'm just looking forwards to when the Fallow finally spread north of Chippenham, I haven't got either the gear or inclination to handle big reds :old:

Ive shot muntjac near Calne.
 
Lots of Fallow between Chippenham and Lyneham. I used to stalk the ground adjacent to Bowood house in the early 90s and there was a good sized population of Fallow, Roe and Muntjac on the ground. The fallow were mainly melanistic.
Never saw reds in my time on that ground (about 6 years)
 
I used to see fallow around here four or five years ago. Only seen roe and muntjac in the last couple of years since getting my ticket/permissions though. Would love them to come back! :lol:
 
i know for a fact that there was a couple of reds that escaped from lackham and i'm luck enough to have shooting grounds on two sides of corsham which i have only ever seen roe and muntjac on and on one peice there was a fallow pricket seen once a couple of years ago where it literally run through a wood in front of the keeper and kept running until it was out of sight. i also know of one spot in wiltshire where there are a few reds which escaped from a farm and a were still hanging around but this was a couple of years ago and i know that they were being shot then so they may all be gone now.
 
There are Reds in the Whiteparish area that come from the Forest have often seen Hinds with Calves and once a very big Stag and some Staggies that were living in the middle of standing wheat these I left as it would have lost me the stalking due to the damage getting them out of the field would have caused.
Often see Sika there as well during the summer but never permanent.
 
I only see Roe, Munti and Fallow in Andover area, Same but less Fallow North of Pewsey, same but only a few Fallow tracks and 2 actual sightings west of Swindon, though tracks are on the increase. Never seen a Red in these areas.
 
There are Reds in the Whiteparish area that come from the Forest have often seen Hinds with Calves and once a very big Stag and some Staggies that were living in the middle of standing wheat these I left as it would have lost me the stalking due to the damage getting them out of the field would have caused.
Often see Sika there as well during the summer but never permanent.

I am confused, you are talking about the Whiteparish south east of Salisbury aren't you? You may get the odd one on the other side of the A36 from Whiteparish I suppose but very rare I would suggest. Same applies to Sika, can't imagine the term 'often' being used ever in this area. But maybe going out 3 times a week after deer in the area and knowing alot of people about involved with deer I have been looking in the wrong places.
I would say they very occassionally see both species in Hamptworth area. Sorry if this sounds flippant but am genuinely bemused. Don't get me wrong I'd love to see more.
 
I am confused, you are talking about the Whiteparish south east of Salisbury aren't you? You may get the odd one on the other side of the A36 from Whiteparish I suppose but very rare I would suggest. Same applies to Sika, can't imagine the term 'often' being used ever in this area. But maybe going out 3 times a week after deer in the area and knowing alot of people about involved with deer I have been looking in the wrong places.
I would say they very occassionally see both species in Hamptworth area. Sorry if this sounds flippant but am genuinely bemused. Don't get me wrong I'd love to see more.

Id be very excited to find out more, I'm with Liongeorge though I'd say the very odd one now and again seen but more to the west in the forest. Between Liongeorge, another member off here and a couple of others I'd say we have very good coverage in the area. Not doubting you though TerryC love to hear a bit more as its always interesting.
 
Hi guys, quite right in there being both Reds and Sika at Hamptworth and around Whiteparish in the past I've had them both there when I stalked the estate before they were hammered, Reds come through to the base of Pepperbox Hill via Longford Estate normally Hinds that hide their calves in the middle of the standing wheat of one of the farms these I normally saw over a period before harvest
I'm not talking about resident herds these are individual animals the most I have seen was 2 Hinds a follower and 2 Calves and they are normally there for a very short time and in the time that I stalked there I never shot them
I have also seen Sika there in the summer normally prickets again at harvest.
All these animals obviously come from the forest which as the crow flies is no distance at all, hope this helps clarify my post, things have changed in that area with the increase in stalking over the last 40 years that I have shot that area and changes in farming.
For obvious reasons I am unwilling to put exact locations on an open forum but if you want further info feel free to pm me.
Regards Terry
 
Hi terry my family have owned brick worth garage for a long time and me and my uncle have stalked that area for a while and before my time my uncle used to see red where you talk about but he has not seen them for many years. The last red I saw was near hamptworth but that would of been 14 ish years ago. There is a good set of antlers on a chimney very near that where taken near but that was a long time ago. It's a shame but I think that the reds in the area are only going to get rarer or disappear if they have not already
 
Hi guys, quite right in there being both Reds and Sika at Hamptworth and around Whiteparish in the past I've had them both there when I stalked the estate before they were hammered, Reds come through to the base of Pepperbox Hill via Longford Estate normally Hinds that hide their calves in the middle of the standing wheat of one of the farms these I normally saw over a period before harvest
I'm not talking about resident herds these are individual animals the most I have seen was 2 Hinds a follower and 2 Calves and they are normally there for a very short time and in the time that I stalked there I never shot them
I have also seen Sika there in the summer normally prickets again at harvest.
All these animals obviously come from the forest which as the crow flies is no distance at all, hope this helps clarify my post, things have changed in that area with the increase in stalking over the last 40 years that I have shot that area and changes in farming.
For obvious reasons I am unwilling to put exact locations on an open forum but if you want further info feel free to pm me.
Regards Terry

Very interesting Terry cheers for that yeh know the area well, nice to know there about. The very odd one make it over the A36 evidently I've not seen them myself. A single Sika was spotted over in Sherfield English some time back again I didn't see it but was told by a very reliable source. Often see good numbers of fallow over towards yours off the A36 and the old railway line.
 
TerryC is right. When I was with the FC in the New Forest in the early 90s a study had just been done where some of the reds were radio collared and it was recorded that they travelled nearly as far as Salisbury in the Summer returning to the Forest before the harvest. The fact surprised a lot of people (me included.) They were moving at night and lying up in the standing crops by day hence (if lucky) evading detection.

The sika in the New Forest rarely cross north of the railway line as most know. The incidences I knew of it happening were where the hounds pushed them over (incidentally) and so I assume since the Labour Government banned the packs hunting the State land the chances of it happening are slimmer.

The reds are, of course north of the railway line so the Forest Keepers' try to 'police' this as a boundary. The most northerly I saw a sika was near Cadnam in 1989.

Very interesting Terry cheers for that yeh know the area well, nice to know there about. The very odd one make it over the A36 evidently I've not seen them myself. A single Sika was spotted over in Sherfield English some time back again I didn't see it but was told by a very reliable source. Often see good numbers of fallow over towards yours off the A36 and the old railway line.
 
Back
Top