no body should be shooting them. They should be netted and liberated again all along the eastern counties north of the Wash. Maybe even let a few go in the western counties whilst we are about it. Why kill when they could be redistributed ? Let them breed a bit, then get back to stalking.
Chinese Water Deer
- Thread starter hoodwink
- Start date
sikamalc
Administrator
I enjoy stalking them. They are the hardest deer to sex in the wild, especially in low light. None the less there seems to be an ever growing number of people who want to shoot one, and the last two seasons CWD seemed to have increased in numbers. Possibly due to the two very good summers we have had.
There are many overseas clients who want to take one as the UK is the only country where you can hunt them fair chase, to my knowledge.
There are many overseas clients who want to take one as the UK is the only country where you can hunt them fair chase, to my knowledge.
NO FEEDING STATIONS
CAPS to get your attention. Can I recommend you look at the pictures of TB in a muntjac posted recently bTB in Muntjac
Feeding stations were part of the reason the TB has persisted so long in Minnesota and places. It would be fine if you have to clear the deer from a fenced enclosure, but is just not a good idea anywhere else
CAPS to get your attention. Can I recommend you look at the pictures of TB in a muntjac posted recently bTB in Muntjac
Feeding stations were part of the reason the TB has persisted so long in Minnesota and places. It would be fine if you have to clear the deer from a fenced enclosure, but is just not a good idea anywhere else
foxdropper
Well-Known Member
Would this be so as not to congregate the deer mate as feeding allows a decent steady flow of cull targets should that be required .No experience of feeding CWD but roe and fallow respond very well to grain stations .
I understand your point, but quite strong, there are times for instance the farmer requires the number to be reduced, he has livestock that he would rather the deer didnt interact with (sheep). There are a lot in a very small space just over the boundary. They are not controlled in that area of rough ground.
There are Muntjak coming to Feed stations on every Pheasant shoot up and down the country, obviously not op north!
Fair point re feeders, not a lot we can do about them!
Agree with what your saying apart from the stalking bit. A fair mount of times they just stand there saying shoot me to me that does not fit with my perception of stalking.
sikamalc
Administrator
Ok back to the original question from the OP. I manage a 2000 acre estate which is nearly all CWD along with 3 farms in the area totalling about 3,500 acres. I have stalked CWD for about 20+ years.
On the large estate there is a well establish pheasant shoot, non commercial. I have never seen a CWD feeding from any Pheasant feeder. Muntjac yes, CWD no. I am not aware of anyone putting up a feed station for CWD, but then there may very well be, but I am not aware of it. Muntjac yes.
I do not see much damage environmentally by CWD on the grounds I stalk. They are grazers mostly, and seem to like fresh growth on old stubble fields, and also rape seed fields.
As far as being easy to stalk, I think that very much depends on how heavily they are hunted/stalked. I wouldn't say they are the easiest deer to stalk, in my opinion that's Muntjac. But they are not the hardest by a long shot, (excuse the pun). As I said before the hardest part is sexing CWD, size, colour makes no difference, you have to see the tusks for a buck. Not easy when they are young animals. One way is to look also at the ears. The bucks can fight like stink sometimes, and they often split their ears, badly. That can be an indication of a buck, also their rut is around mid to late December, and then its quite easy to distinguish a buck by its actions and body language.
On the large estate there is a well establish pheasant shoot, non commercial. I have never seen a CWD feeding from any Pheasant feeder. Muntjac yes, CWD no. I am not aware of anyone putting up a feed station for CWD, but then there may very well be, but I am not aware of it. Muntjac yes.
I do not see much damage environmentally by CWD on the grounds I stalk. They are grazers mostly, and seem to like fresh growth on old stubble fields, and also rape seed fields.
As far as being easy to stalk, I think that very much depends on how heavily they are hunted/stalked. I wouldn't say they are the easiest deer to stalk, in my opinion that's Muntjac. But they are not the hardest by a long shot, (excuse the pun). As I said before the hardest part is sexing CWD, size, colour makes no difference, you have to see the tusks for a buck. Not easy when they are young animals. One way is to look also at the ears. The bucks can fight like stink sometimes, and they often split their ears, badly. That can be an indication of a buck, also their rut is around mid to late December, and then its quite easy to distinguish a buck by its actions and body language.
Probably because out of all the 6 their geographic range is the smallestNot wishing to hijack your thread but why? IMHO they have got to be the easiest species to get into and for the life of me I cannot see why some people will pay to be frank crazy amounts of money to put a hole in one. I see nothing much to get excited about re the trophies either. Still it takes all sorts, though I’d rather do a fox skull mount and I can shoot as many as I like of those for free. Aren’t people crazy.”
As Malc said, I've seen other deer visit bird feeders but never a CWD, though I do see them sheltering in the lee of a big feeders or behind ring bales occasionally.
I've been out after them every winter for about 12 yrs or so now, and have never seen or heard of them being seen feeding around pheasant feeders.
Some of the lands I shoot them on also have sheep out, and the CWD seem to leave the mineral blocks alone too.
They seem to preferentially feed on young grass, young cereals and boadleaf weeds when out in the fields and in the drains between fields they feed heavily on aquatic plants too - they're a riparian species after all.
I have seen them eating natural silage, by that I mean frosted undergrowth, when it thawed out.
As with other deer they seem to like that so maybe a bit of cattle silage might attract them, that's about the only thing I can suggest
I've been out after them every winter for about 12 yrs or so now, and have never seen or heard of them being seen feeding around pheasant feeders.
Some of the lands I shoot them on also have sheep out, and the CWD seem to leave the mineral blocks alone too.
They seem to preferentially feed on young grass, young cereals and boadleaf weeds when out in the fields and in the drains between fields they feed heavily on aquatic plants too - they're a riparian species after all.
I have seen them eating natural silage, by that I mean frosted undergrowth, when it thawed out.
As with other deer they seem to like that so maybe a bit of cattle silage might attract them, that's about the only thing I can suggest
Shackleton
Well-Known Member
We have tried most supplementary feeds for CWD over the past ten years, with no success. We have occasionally seen them take barley on the edge of flight ponds, but this was only in hard weather. Beet pulp, alfalfa, deer, pig and cattle nuts, molasses, wheat, hay, beans, carrots and others have all failed to attract them. The only environmental damage that we have observed is browsing on new-growth willow, wild hops and occasionally grazing flag iris. We overcome the willow issue by pollarding, rather than coppicing. Damage to crops is negligible with us - if CWD are seen in spring barley they tend to be eating the weeds between the rows rather than the crops. Finding a supplementary feed would help reduce winter mortality in our area (not this last winter!) so any ideas would be gratefully received.
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