One's Fallow Men


My visit to a forest on the High Weald in Sussex marked the end of a three month break from stalking deer. I saw 25 deer in total, including this pair of Fallow bucks, sporting a tan coat, cream underside and white spots. Their freshly created footprints and droppings were visible along a woodland path adjacent to where I spotted them moments later in a field. Unusually for this species, they spent about 20 seconds observing me, before running away; they would normally bolt on sight. When I think about it, not many people go out for a walk and enjoy the privilege of seeing this! 

Roe deer seem more abundant in the forest this year. Hopefully in the coming years, it will become a first choice location for Roe. Sometimes, one can wander through the forest and not see a single deer. This evening was one of those a rare occasions when my visit coincided with high levels of deer activity. With my enthusiasm for deer refreshed, I hope to spend more time during what remains of the summer, out in the woods and fields, looking for more beautiful animals to show you.


One's Fallow Men

Precisely two weeks later, I returned to the forest and discovered that the abundance of deer was no fluke. Likely reasons are the displacement of animals from overpopulated neighbouring forests and cool August weather deterring people from visiting the forest. Early in the evening, a Fallow deer buck (see below) appeared along a glade deep into the forest. Minutes later, I saw him chase a slightly younger buck through the ferns. The fleeing buck, unaware of my presence, ran straight towards me, turned sharply and leapt through the air in a 10 metre trajectory. Not many people go for a walk in the forest and see the aerial jump of a Fallow deer at such close quarters (5 metres). The pair of Fallow deer above are 2 years old, while the buck with more well-developed antlers is aged 4 years. Fallow deer can live for up to 15 years in the wild.

Fallow Buck, Woodland Glade

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