Young deer just sat down

[Kriscar77]

Hello all
Being new to stalking a deer management in genral
I was working with military out on a military training area yesterday and a work colleague told me there was a deer sat down about 100 meters behind our location, so I grabbed my binoculars and headed in direction of where he was sat, I thought at first he had a peruge head but then as got closer could see he was in velvet, we then moved steadily closer conscious on not scaring him but he still didn't flinch or move.
I got about 6 feet from him and he was sat quite still, no visual signs of of injury, not heavily breathing, looked very small for a roe buck.
Is this normal behaviour for last year's young to not fear humans or run off,?, there were quite a few loud bangs going off where we were, did he just have a bit of a sensory overload?
Cheers in advance for any information

 

[wytonpjs]

Ex WESSEX STORM has buggered them up a lot IMHO and normal SPTA deer management activities are currently suspended due to the level of activity. A lot will usually make themselves scarce quite quickly into the Blue dry training areas but even those are currently in use now too . The Roe on the TA are normally not as shy as other species but I believe the constant training activity is putting a lot of stress on them and if this one had found a sheltered quiet spot, he was simply enjoying the rest out of the wind. Bar CWD, Roe are IMHO some of the most stupid deer out there. I would not assume the worst.

 

[Kriscar77]

Ex WESSEX STORM has buggered them up a lot IMHO and normal SPTA deer management activities are currently suspended due to the level of activity. A lot will usually make themselves scarce quite quickly into the Blue dry training areas but even those are currently in use now too . The Roe on the TA are normally not as shy as other species but I believe the constant training activity is putting a lot of stress on them and if this one had found a sheltered quiet spot, he was simply enjoying the rest out of the wind. Bar CWD, Roe are IMHO some of the most stupid deer out there. I would not assume the worst.

Thank you very much, I shall know for next time, this is all very much part of the learning journey for me and would of hated to think that I'd of left an injured animal to suffer, that's a weight off my mind thank you again

 

[bullet chucker]

One of the DSC1 questions, young Roe deer poor condition after the winter seasons lack of quality food perhaps?

BC.

 

[wytonpjs]

One of the DSC1 questions, young Roe deer poor condition after the winter seasons lack of quality food perhaps?

BC.

Whilst it’s a possibility there’s no report of scouring and knowing the population, I doubt it’s in ill health, just a little stressed and tired of being pushed around so much at present.

 

[Donkey Basher]

A few years back my other had roe deer in the fields where she kept her horses, she kept telling me about them & I said she should take some pics (she’s now given it up but back then was a professional photographer). So, off she went with camera & big lens to get some pics… deer buggered off apparently She tried again next day, same result, deer buggered off. After a week I asked whether she was doing anything different & she said she was trying to be as stealthy as she could to get really close for some good pictures - problem solved! Next day back out, feed bucket in hand, camera in feed bucket, poop fork in other hand, pottered about a bit, got camera out & took pics - brilliant result. Alas, that was back when cameras used film so whilst I have one particular pic of a roe buck in tall grass in my mind I can’t upload it as good knows where the negative is, or if I could even get it printed these days!

Anyway, point is, you probably weren’t doing anything the deer saw as threatening so it wasn’t overly bothered.

As @wytonpjs says, Roe deer aren’t the cleverest deer out there - an old keeper showed me long ago how easy it is to get a roe deer off a field at last light…

 

[Kriscar77]

A few years back my other had roe deer in the fields where she kept her horses, she kept telling me about them & I said she should take some pics (she’s now given it up but back then was a professional photographer). So, off she went with camera & big lens to get some pics… deer buggered off apparently She tried again next day, same result, deer buggered off. After a week I asked whether she was doing anything different & she said she was trying to be as stealthy as she could to get really close for some good pictures - problem solved! Next day back out, feed bucket in hand, camera in feed bucket, poop fork in other hand, pottered about a bit, got camera out & took pics - brilliant result. Alas, that was back when cameras used film so whilst I have one particular pic of a roe buck in tall grass in my mind I can’t upload it as good knows where the negative is, or if I could even get it printed these days!

Anyway, point is, you probably weren’t doing anything the deer saw as threatening so it wasn’t overly bothered.

As @wytonpjs says, Roe deer aren’t the cleverest deer out there - an old keeper showed me long ago how easy it is to get a roe deer off a field at last light…

Wow, thank you for this, it's definitely a learning experience, he did look quite alright sat there.

 

[Nickb]

As @wytonpjs says, Roe deer aren’t the cleverest deer out there - an old keeper showed me long ago how easy it is to get a roe deer off a field at last light…

please enlighten us

 

[Heym SR20]

We as a species have become so distanced from nature that we are very surprised when a wild animal is very happy being close to another animal. If you think about it a Deer is totally happy with birds and bugs and other beasties just bring around it.

One of the joys of being a stalker is that you are out in the woods and fields and hills and you ate forced to work with nature, otherwise you won’t be successful. You have to learn how to sit on you arse, disengage with all the noise of modern life and just be. You need to sit for a minimum of 20 minutes to half an hour. Then all the tweety birds start doing their thing and going about everyday life. Soon after the bigger animals such as deer pop out, and if you stay quiet and still they will get very close. I have had owls perch on my rifle, I have had otters happily fish in the river next to me and deer just lie down and sleep. I am never in a rush to shoot things these days, and to be honest if earned a deer’s trust for it to come in really close I just let it be. One of my favourite memories is having a roe doe with two little spotted fawns just suckling ten yards away, and a litter of badger cubs playing on a grass bank. They were running up the hill, rolling in a ball and tumbling down the hill, and doing so again. Later that evening a big old buck popped out - he ended up in the poikie pot with his antlers on the wall.

As stalkers we are too enamoured with technology and doing things as fast as we can. Just a quick scan with a thermal, range the distance, dial in, shoot. Drive the quad to pick it up and then drive aroubd till you spot and shoot the next one. That’s just hard work.

Instead sit on your arse in a good spot and wait for them to appear.

 

[Kriscar77]

I totally agree, I just completed a meat and hygiene course and there is always that one billy big balls that's done this, been here, shot that at miles away,you owe it to your quarry to do it right and I miss those days of just sitting and watching what goes on, unfortunately as you said the land around me is sewn up by the billy big balls type that have to much land they don't manage or shoot but don't want anyone else to have it because that wouldn't be good to chat about down the pub now would it?, one day I'll get my slice of the pie, thank you for the reply, its good to see there's still plenty of decent stalkers who are doing it for all the right reasons