Couple of Muntjac questions chaps

stratts

Well-Known Member
It's looking promising that I may get permission to control the Muntjac (and possibly Roe) on about 1000 acres of mainly arable land, which has a few pockets of small spinneys and some lakes with plenty of cover around the outside.

The farm manager culled a few (I don't know numbers yet) about 2 years ago and as this has been my main bunny/fox shooting land for the last 18 months, I've started to see a lot more deer on the ground. As far as I'm aware none have been shot since!

I was recently told that on average you only see around 10% of the actual population of Muntjac on the land. Is this figure just for woodland or in general, as we regularly see 6-8 on the land now when we go out, which would equate to a fair number. Would this be about average for 1000 acres?

Also as this perm is dead opposite my workplace, I regularly see a pair of Munties in the same spot around some ponds, grazing on the boundary between the hedgeline and crops. I noticed the doe today looked fairly big so may be carrying and the buck looked to have a nice head on him. Generally speaking once the young are independant, would they hang around in the same area for long, or would they venture off to populate an area of their own. Or would it depend on whether the youngsters were male or female?

I know this next one may be land specific, but based on the limited info I have, what would be likely to be the number needed to be shot over a 12 month period to maintain a healthy population? It would be mainly recreational stalking but as I shoot here every week I could work out a management plan (with you guys help!) and maintain it very easily,

Cheers

Stratts
 
I used to have quite a bit of private ground to stalk on, but when I left home I gave a lot of it up as I couldn't cover it very well, I still have the stalking on about 250-300 acres of woodland that I share with my dad. I shoot what I see when I see it, I took about 30 off it last year and dad will have had a few too, that has been my policy for years now and I am yet to empty it. Personally if I were you I wouldn't worry too much about a Management plan for Muntjac unles your landowner is insistant on one, get there as often as you can, enjoy your stalking and shoot what you come across.
 
It's muntjac, shoot all you see... simples

1241795697_slo-mo-blowing-raspberries.gif
 

Don't you like that management advice? :rolleyes:

Most individuals and organisations are doing exactly that around here and it still isn't making much of an impact on numbers!

I saw 3 this morning crossing the track in front of my seat but the buggers weren't stopping for me, hence why if I get a shot I will take it!
 
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How territorial is territorial? Reason being I see Munties on my site, 90 acres and always at night, almost never during the day. Even resorted to using a thermal to try to find them, and my only conclusion is that they are somewhere else.
If I shot them at 300 yards could I claim that I thought they were rabbits as they were the right size? :D
 
How territorial is territorial? Reason being I see Munties on my site, 90 acres and always at night, almost never during the day. Even resorted to using a thermal to try to find them, and my only conclusion is that they are somewhere else.
If I shot them at 300 yards could I claim that I thought they were rabbits as they were the right size? :D

Do you have access to trial cameras? That would show you a pattern of their movements.
 
I would heartily agree with Mr Pointblank! Most folks around here operate a 'shoot on sight' policy whilst trying to avoid orphaning any fawns. You will undoubtedly shoot far more bucks than does by doing this but it is unavoidable due to their behaviour patterns. This creates a sex imbalance in favour of does which is compounded over time. Each buck covers several does and what you think may be a small population of muntjac has the ability to expand very rapidly! It's happening all around us at an alarming rate! There is no requirement for a management plan. You would also struggle to get any accurate census figures to base such a plan on anyway! Shoot as many as you can and enjoy yourself! You'll not make them extinct!
MS:thumb:
 
Don't you like that management advice? :rolleyes:

Most individuals and organisations are doing exactly that around here and it still isn't making much of an impact on numbers!

!

Excellent bit of management advice
Got any advice that does work instead....:rofl::rofl:
 
I have posted on this subject before.

At least where we stalk (and have done for 20 years) we do not operate a simple "shoot on sight" policy and have not noticed a huge growth in the muntjac population as a result. The cull count, including RTA's, is in the mid 40's and the ground is stalked relatively intensively (i.e. more than three times a week).

If we were overrun by muntjac I really think we would have noticed.

I sometimes wonder whether "shoot on sight" is put foward as a management plan simply because people can't be bothered to put the effort into a proper cull plan.:stir:

willie_gunn
 
Sometimes I wonder wether a management plan is put forward because people can't be bothered to put the effort into culling deer.
 
Sometimes I wonder wether a management plan is put forward because people can't be bothered to put the effort into culling deer.

:rofl:

Yes, the "if it's brown it's down" approach certainly has its attractions. No need to worry about keeping records, issuing management reports, undertaking population census work or doing the other legwork.

willie_gunn
 
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