Muntjac teritory and numbers

stratts

Well-Known Member
Any idea how much territory a Munty buck would hold or is it a bit of string question and depends on how the land is set out?

If there was one dominant buck in an area would there be a number of doe's in the area too?

Cheers

Stratts
 
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stratts,​

Bucks usually hold small territories in most scenarios with over-lapping doe territory. A doe can produce a single fawn every 7 months by which the previous young adults are kicked out.

I highly recommend the book "Muntjac - Managing An Alien Species by Charles Smith-Jones & Ashley Boon."
 
not sure to be honest but last summer i was up a highseat for a fox and there was 4 mature muntjac bucks milling around beneath me all within 20 meters of each other. I have also shot 3 mature bucks and seen more from a single session from a highseat. Dont know what that tells you about the territory size but its what ive observed.
From what ive seen the population of a piece of ground has more to do with habitat and food than anything else. Cover crops and pheasant feeders will attract muntjac. I ironically just lost a piece of moderately productive ground as the owners son wanted to put down some pheasants. they were good enough to let me shoot until the beginning of the season by which point i was seeing an increasing population of deer no doubt attracted by the increased cover and food supply. Hopefully the penny will drop with the owners and they will ask me back.
 
Just an example two weeks ago visiting stalker shot 5 muntjac from one seat and yesterday another visiting stalker saw another 6 shooting 1 from the same seat ! We're they making inroads into the cleared territory or were they already there ? I stalked last week on ground leading to main wood every hedgerow I went along had major territory scrapes and deer traffic along them I never saw a carrot all evening .
​norma
 
I have 2 bits of ground both of 90 acres, one area is 50% woodland 50% pasture Ive only ever shot bucks on there, only once seen a doe. I think Ive maybe 5 or 6 muntjac on there at any time. The other ground is surrounded by town on 3 sides, Ive seen 5 different bucks, shot 3 does and have at least another 6 different does on there. Its pasture with some wood and plenty of shrubs etc. Like Pete Ive often seen the bucks all close together....The tricky bit is getting a shot at all due to the surrounding town.
 
not sure to be honest but last summer i was up a highseat for a fox and there was 4 mature muntjac bucks milling around beneath me all within 20 meters of each other. I have also shot 3 mature bucks and seen more from a single session from a highseat. Dont know what that tells you about the territory size but its what ive observed.
From what ive seen the population of a piece of ground has more to do with habitat and food than anything else. Cover crops and pheasant feeders will attract muntjac. I ironically just lost a piece of moderately productive ground as the owners son wanted to put down some pheasants. they were good enough to let me shoot until the beginning of the season by which point i was seeing an increasing population of deer no doubt attracted by the increased cover and food supply. Hopefully the penny will drop with the owners and they will ask me back.

Hi Pete
Or he will apply for f.a.c and daddy will buy him a .243 like what happened to me after 3 years loyal stalking always took them a haunch, a bottle of wine dropped in for a coffee most Sunday mornings told them where I'd been what I'd seen n shot etc but nope still stuck the knife in!
ATB Steve
 
Hi Pete
Or he will apply for f.a.c and daddy will buy him a .243 like what happened to me after 3 years loyal stalking always took them a haunch, a bottle of wine dropped in for a coffee most Sunday mornings told them where I'd been what I'd seen n shot etc but nope still stuck the knife in!
ATB Steve

picked up another bit this weekend that softens the blow. To be honest the owners were straight right from the off that if they put birds down I would have to pack up. I've no hard feelings and even increased my efforts on the foxes before I left. Every day of free stalking i consider a bonus. Sorry to hear you lost ground, you do get to love some places, pity the son did not share with you as i suspect that it would have been to both of your benefit.
Doors open and doors close enjoy it while you have it and I hope something turns up

ATB

Pete
 
The best help a game shoot can have is a stalker in a high seat
at dawn with a licence to kill....foxes.....
birds wont settle if they are being harassed by foxes every morning.
birds will get use to a stalker, especially if you scatter a bit of corn to them.

theres no reason for one to exclude the other

as for muntjac territory
a big size garden will do.
 
Myn own observations in my back garden (2 Acres) show a very regular routine of two Muntjac, a buck and a doe, both by visual observation and using Trail Cams. It is noticeable that when our neighbours, also with some 2 Acres, are away on holiday, the Muntjac show up a lot more. Next door to the neighbours is some 2 Acres of pony paddocks and a bit of woodland - within those 6 Acres I can usually find them at down, occasionally at dusk, and when it is very quiet in the area also during broad day light.
Sadly I cannot supplement the larder with venison from my own garden for both safety an neighbourly reasons.

Whether one can conclude from that that the typical territory for a pair of Muntjac is 6 Acres is a long shot...
 
2 Bucks.jpg These 2 old warriors were taken from the semi urban 90 acres Sunday, first stalking to high seat the second at dusk, they were with 100 metres of each other and often in the same area. Ive only stalked this ground since June but to date taken 5 and would estimate at least another 10 according to trail cams, a massive amount of that ground is open pasture, playing fields and lawned areas so those numbers are in what amounts to around 10 acres of scrub and wood
 
View attachment 35127 These 2 old warriors were taken from the semi urban 90 acres Sunday, first stalking to high seat the second at dusk, they were with 100 metres of each other and often in the same area. Ive only stalked this ground since June but to date taken 5 and would estimate at least another 10 according to trail cams, a massive amount of that ground is open pasture, playing fields and lawned areas so those numbers are in what amounts to around 10 acres of scrub and wood

is that the one you recorded on trail cam? looks like its a belter.
 
Yes mate....Havent had time to stick the tape on him yet brow tines arnt massive but good long mains
 
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