Roe Deer Behaviour

[muldonach]

Originally Posted by posie

..Thanks Mac, that all fits in with what I've observed...but unfortunately last evening I saw two adult deer across the field, the one behind was a darker colour, but it had been raining and maybe he had got wetter than the one in front..then he tried to mount her, which wasn't a surprise of course, but then as she moved forward and he was trying to keep up with her, I realised he is very lame, fully dropping on one foreleg...(mind you, his injury hadn't stopped him trying to reproduce), but he really is very lame..
..we do get lampers close to here sometimes, and of course there is the road, or maybe it's some other natural reason he's hurt...

My problem is ..what can I do, other than have him shot if it gets worse, if I could have him tranquilised with a gun our vet would assess and/or treat him, but catching the little booger isn't going to be easy, or sensible without tranquilisation..any ideas? Posie

There are many ways in which a deer can hurt a leg - barbed wire fences being one of the main ones although that is normally the rear legs.

There is a saying amongst vets that if you cannot catch your patient then there is not too much wrong with it, similarly if he has nookie on his mind then his leg is not causing him too much worry.

Recommendation - it will either get better (or sort itself out - we have a three legged doe here and she has survived for 3 years to my certain knowledge) or worse - if it gets worse then the animal will normally lie up in dense cover and die - if you find it clearly in decline then shoot it but otherwise let nature take its couse and for heavens sake don't try to "rescue" it - you are dealing with a common adult wild animal which will be petrified of human contact and will highly likely die of shock if you try to assist it.

Regards
mac

[muldonach]

Originally Posted by STYRBJORN

Posie -

Lamping for deer is totally illegal. If you have good reason to believe the buck you have observed has been shot and injured by a lamper please report this to the police. As a shooter who observes the law I don't want to find myself grouped in with illegal shooters in the minds of the public.

Ric

Sorry but that is not correct - taking deer at night requires a licence - which is readily available given the correct circumstances:-

http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/our...cies/deer.aspx

Shooting deer at night

Under Section 3 of the Deer Act 1991external link it is an offence to kill or take deer at night. The Regulatory Reform (Deer) (England and Wales) Order 2007 amends the Deer Act to allow individuals to apply for licences for shooting deer at night where it is not possible to effectively control deer by other means. To apply for a licence see below.

Regards
mac

[muldonach]

Originally Posted by STYRBJORN

Fair enough Posie. To the best of my knowledge only specially trained vets are allowed to use tranquilliser dart guns. Dosage is critical, as is placement of the dart. Even zoos have to call in trained vets as needed.

Ric

I believe that anyone who can show a reasonable requirement can obtain one in the same way as any other firearm - commonly held on deer farms.

The problem with dart guns is you have to get pretty close in to use one.

Regards
mac

[The Woodman]

I am told that a percentage of the FC culling in your area is done at night under licence for efficiency, muldonach.

You raised a good point about the kids behaviour whilst does are courting.

[davecatt]

Originally Posted by muldonach

I believe that anyone who can show a reasonable requirement can obtain one in the same way as any other firearm - commonly held on deer farms.

The problem with dart guns is you have to get pretty close in to use one.

Regards
mac

Its a bit more complex than that Mac. The drugs used for dart guns can only be prescribed by a vet,the user will be required to satisfy the vet that he has been trained correctly in its use,and that the animal will never go into the food chain.

Also the vet cannot supply the drug unless the animal concerned is officially under his care.

Finally;it can be quite expensive to use a large animal tranquillizer (such as Immobilon) not only do you need to involve a vet,pay for the drug required for the job and have the right training on how to administrate it,you also need to buy the antidote to the drug in case of accidents and know the correct emergency treatment required should you or someone else be accidentally injected.

Posie I dont think theres much you can do, without causing the animal stress,some times the only option is to let nature take its course.
Dave

[posie]

Thankyou everyone for the info. and advice...I did not intend to try and ''rescue'' him myself, I just wanted to know if there was any organisation that would properly, do whatever was necessary, and I would just pass on the info of the sighting...

One interesting point, I think that in some species if a male animal has picked up the scent of a female of that species, and he was in pain and discomfort, he'd find a way, if it was at all possible, to mount and serve her, being driven by the instinct to ensure the survival of the species, regardless of the pain..

Posie..

[posie]

I haven't seen the lame buck again..(yet) but yesterday there was a Mother deer with her twins in the field I can see from my chair in the snug..the youngsters were quite well grown, but then if she gave birth in late May or early June, they would be 2 months old...anyway, all three were a joy to watch.....Posie