Muntjac Deer Distribution

[JTO]

I've seen them at night while waiting for boar near Littledean, Glouc.
An SD member has shot them west of Dorchester, Dorset, some years ago now.

 

[Noppy]

As you say Koenig not in any great numbers but spread throughout the county and into adjoining counties. They've been around for years but I've always wondered why we haven't seen any great numbers of them as most stalkers say if you manage to see one then it's already too late and there are hundreds of the little blighters?
Perhaps the majority are concentrated on certain areas as I know of one chap just outside Monmouth who advertises muntjac stalking so presumably there must be a decent concentration in his particular locality.

Not so long back I saw a muntjac buck dead alongside the A40 between the Wye bridge and the Gibraltar tunnels in Monmouth, there was also a case of a muntie stuck in railings in the centre of Chepstow.

There seem to be a large number of intermittent sightings of Muntjac over a very wide area of SE Wales and the border country.

There's two muntjac bucks dead on the A40 half a mile towards Ross on wye from Monmouth as i type. Both hit in the last 3 or 4 weeks

 

[Noppy]

I've seen them at night while waiting for boar near Littledean, Glouc.
An SD member has shot them west of Dorchester, Dorset, some years ago now.

The Forest of Dean is full of them now!

 

[J@son]

@nun_hunter i appreciate you know what you are doing but have you tried using a thermal spotter? I think thermal is particularly effective in finding MJ. As @Tim.243 writes for every MJ I see I reckon there must be three that I don't... without the thermal that is. They just melt into cover and you can be almost on top of them without seeing them. I was rabbit shooting once and had one lie down within feet of me without me noticing. I am not sure which of us jumped higher when we eventually saw each other.

There's a very healthy population where I live near Stroud in Gloucestershire although (in my experience) not nearly as many over the border in north Wilts.

 

[tusker]

Very healthy population in South Wilts, has been for at least 25 years.
Tusker

 

[nun_hunter]

@nun_hunter i appreciate you know what you are doing but have you tried using a thermal spotter? I think thermal is particularly effective in finding MJ. As @Tim.243 writes for every MJ I see I reckon there must be three that I don't... without the thermal that is. They just melt into cover and you can be almost on top of them without seeing them. I was rabbit shooting once and had one lie down within feet of me without me noticing. I am not sure which of us jumped higher when we eventually saw each other.

There's a very healthy population where I live near Stroud in Gloucestershire although (in my experience) not nearly as many over the border in north Wilts.

I haven't used a thermal so there may be more out there but even with trail cams out in likely spots I've seen countless fallow and roe but never a Muntjac since the first sighting. Rarely see foxes either in this particular area so don't think the predation rate is too high.

 

[Tim.243]

@nun_hunter i appreciate you know what you are doing but have you tried using a thermal spotter? I think thermal is particularly effective in finding MJ. As @Tim.243 writes for every MJ I see I reckon there must be three that I don't... without the thermal that is. They just melt into cover and you can be almost on top of them without seeing them. I was rabbit shooting once and had one lie down within feet of me without me noticing. I am not sure which of us jumped higher when we eventually saw each other.

There's a very healthy population where I live near Stroud in Gloucestershire although (in my experience) not nearly as many over the border in north Wilts.

Quite, the thing is a lot of the estates (as you see on you tube) have them running around under their feet as they only pick the GM ones for clients.
mean while the others more/get pushed out and full up other areas.
For their size the command good money to shoot one, with this copper cost also the no value return in the game dealers soon at some point then all bits of ground will have them and people will be able to get one in your garden lol

 

[GLR]

Anyone seen any in Carmarthenshire? Supposed to be some in north of county?

 

[VSS]

im seeing a good few here in mid wales now which is mad!

atb

Send them on up, please!

 

[Alces Alces]

If you kick a bramble bush in East Berkshire 3 muntjac will explode in all directions!

 

[Alces Alces]

Anyone seen any in Carmarthenshire? Supposed to be some in north of county?

I am on the FB group for the local hunt and a member sent a photo of a young Muntjac buck in their garden in Llanydsul, this would have been about 2 years ago.

 

[GLR]

I have a camera up in llandysul, plenty of reds but no muntjac yet.

 

[Alces Alces]

I have a camera up in llandysul, plenty of reds but no muntjac yet.

I have heard there are Reds and even Fallow in Llanysul resulting from 'escapes.' Unfortunately I have also heard that the Reds are being shot at night, so I do not know how long they will be around for? Incidently, I am aware there are Roe in the Brechfa Forest.

 

[VSS]

If you kick a bramble bush in East Berkshire 3 muntjac will explode in all directions!

Only three? You must have small bramble clumps around your way....

 

[stalker 79]

Seen a couple of years ago in south-east Cheshire

ive seen 2 near Alderley edge, and a guy i work with watched one the other night in Holmes chapel

 

[stalker 79]

Ive taken another lease over and the old lease holder says hes seen them on the property, and this is just over the border, near Carlisle..

 

[baguio]

I haven't used a thermal so there may be more out there but even with trail cams out in likely spots I've seen countless fallow and roe but never a Muntjac since the first sighting. Rarely see foxes either in this particular area so don't think the predation rate is too high.

If they’re about you will see their slots in the mud on tracks and woodland edges. Not hard to spot at all.

 

[GLR]

I have heard there are Reds and even Fallow in Llanysul resulting from 'escapes.' Unfortunately I have also heard that the Reds are being shot at night, so I do not know how long they will be around for? Incidently, I am aware there are Roe in the Brechfa Forest.

Yes it is true regarding Roe in Brechfa, I have seen the photos. Not seen any Fallow in or around Llandysul but I don’t have a lot of land nor time to spend up there. The piece I have holds some lovely Red deer, not huge numbers but enough to keep my freezer stocked!

 

[neillfrbs]

haven't seen any on the Mendips , chew, blagdon area Somerset .just roe

 

[Crepuscular Charlie]

None in East Devon.

That’s incorrect I’m afraid. There are some in East Devon but not many as far as I’m aware. Apart from the usual anecdotal reports, some more credible than others, I know for certain of a few having been shot within 15 miles of Exeter within the past 2 or 3 years. One ended it’s career in a fox snare recently. Of course these few may be the sum total of Muntjac to have visited the region, in which case you may be right and there are none now!