floods

roedeerred

Well-Known Member
question for those who live in flooded areas
how much damage has been done to yours stalking areas and have floods killed any deer???
 
Our large wood was heavily hit by the gales and it will take many weeks to remove the fallen trees and clear the rides but were unable to get in there because it is still flooded, it would be far to dangerous to try.

Fortunately the deer's welfare is looking good and we have managed to tip a few ton of beet in area's we can get to.
 
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I doubt if the floods have killed many if any deer.
I remember stalking with a client in my xtrail. Got to within 10m of the River Stour in full flood and seriously thought we were going for a swim but made it to find a buck perched on the only spit of land left. Trouble was we couldn't get to him and when he saw us he ran off knee high through the water.
 
Most of the areas that flood always have for many years. I used to live close to Yalding and all the locals knew that the Medway flooded every year and always had done. It's only people who are surprised when it happens and see the need to stay put or even go for a look. Large animals simply move on to the high ground. After the floods the alluvial deposits will promote excellent growth of fresh greens (it's natures way of fertilising the flood plains) and the deer will move back in.
 
Most of the areas that flood always have for many years. I used to live close to Yalding and all the locals knew that the Medway flooded every year and always had done. It's only people who are surprised when it happens and see the need to stay put or even go for a look. Large animals simply move on to the high ground. After the floods the alluvial deposits will promote excellent growth of fresh greens (it's natures way of fertilising the flood plains) and the deer will move back in.

I live on the side of the Yorkshire derwent flood plain it used to flood every year and enrich the area then they raised the banks and now flood houses instead:cuckoo:
 
I currently have about 1500 acres underwater and any kind of stalking is currently out of the question unless you are after fish.




Anyway to answer your question have the floods killed any deer the answer is yes but probably not for the reason you would first think. Deer in my area are getting quite used to these ever increasing poor conditions and simply move to any available higher ground and with the young well grown on now i havent heard any reports of any deer being drowned.
Where the problem arrises is from the farmer on the higher ground ringing his/her resident stalker saying i have never seen so many deer on the farm and they need thinning out , well of course they havent they have probably got every deer for half a mile on thier property that are just trying to avoid the floods.
Most sensible stalkers will know what deer are generaly on their ground and twig what is going on and relay what is happening to the farmer as in reality your resident 5 roe have now quickly become 20 but will return back to 5/6 once the water level recedes and the deer once again disperse back to their normal teritories.
Now some stalkers will be thinking £££££££££££££s to be made here and lets shoot the extra 15 and believe me ive seen it and then are moaning the next season when their resident deer have wandered of to now ocupy the empty extra available space.
Other stalkers not in the brown its down camp will just let them disperse or at most shoot one or two just to keep the farmer happy and on side before resuming back to there normal stalking activities.
Now where did i leave my snorkel and flippers
ATB
RICK O SHEA
 
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Rick looks like quite a few woods are underwater and I understand you must get frustrated when someone up the hill wipes out any management efforts
 
Rick similar on the Somerset levels, on my train travels I have not seen a roe for weeks. On Thursday the water was about 1 ft of the rails so there 5-8ft of water over thousands of acres I expect the resident deer have moved.

D
 
What impact would the gales and tree damage have on the deer..as our large wood was heavily hit bad by the gales and many trees came down taking others with them and it is bad,it too will take many weeks to remove the fallen trees and clear the rides,As our wood is a pine forest on top of a hill we were spared the flooding but we have noticed a shortage in the deer numbers now and wondered if they had maybe headed out this area or just keeping there heads down..anyone had or experience this after sever strom damage on a wood.
 
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