Muntjac deer near Sheffield?

[SheffieldLass]

I was in a very dense spruce wood just to the north west of Sheffield today, and something approached, saw me and turned and leapt off. I assumed it was just a brown hare, which there are plenty of in the nearby fields, but it seemed a bit big, but I didn't get a good view in the gloom, and in the twilight sizes of animals do seem to get distorted. But a bit later on something that was clearly not a hare, (as it was the other side of a wall too tall to see a hare behind) and which could only have been a deer moved through the woods, but by then it was getting pretty dark, so no id possible. I know these woods well and there hasn't been any sign of a deer presence up until now. I know there are Red Deer in the Sheffield region, though I've not seen any myself. Have there been any reportings of muntjac? The creature I saw first was definitely too small for red deer, the second one, which I think might well have been the same animal, could have been muntjac or red deer. I'll be now looking out for signs of deer there.

Melanie

[wildmanofthewoods]

Hi Melanie
There are reports every now and then of Muntjacs in the Sheffield area.
I have not seen any myself.
Although I have seen Fallow and Roe deer.

Roe Deer do seem to be turning up here and there!
But as you thought it was a large Hare at first, I would guess at it being a Muntjac.

Good sighting!

[JB9302]

Any possibility it was a Roe ? , we are about 25 miles away from Sheffield over the Snake pass Glossop end and Roe deer have been sited and reported locally .
In fact my brother was out exercising his greyhound a couple of years ago and it ran into a Copse , he heard a comotion and arrived in time to see a Roe giving the dog what for , dog ended up with stiches .

[NickCantle]

I thought Muntjac Deer were pretty evenly distributed around the country! I will not take the millions of them round here for granted any more!

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by SheffieldLass

the second one, which I think might well have been the same animal, could have been muntjac or red deer.

There is a huge size difference between these two, you could never mix them up.

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by Dogghound

There is a huge size difference between these two, you could never mix them up.

I know .... the light was very poor .. so it could have been a hare first (that sighting was definitely not red deer!) and then the second at the other extreme a red deer (that was definitely not hare!), but if they were actually the same animal then a muntjac is really the only possibility. It just seemed too much of a coincidence to get two glimpses of a mammal of a certain (or more accurately an uncertain) size just a couple of hundred metres apart in the space of 15 mins, when in about 4 years I've only seen squirrels, hares, stoats and weasels there (ok, badger and fox signs too). I'll just have to keep my eyes open, and hope for better light conditions.

Melanie

[SheffieldLass]

I went up there again today in daylight to check for prints or signs of grazing. The only signs of deer was a bit of barking (old, not recent) on one spruce, and the right sort of size indentations in a boggy bit close to where I'd seen the second but not enough to make an identification. However I bumped into someone I know who walks the area daily and he confirmed that he's recently seen a roe deer a few hundred yards from that point and also some had been seen in a nearby field. So it looks as if the second was probably roe deer. So I'll assume the first was probably just a brown hare. Red deer have been seen out on the moors not that far away. And muntjac supposedly seen on some of the Sheffield golf courses.

The deer numbers must be very low as apart from the one bit of barking there were no obvious signs of grazing. Hopefully it will stay that way ... most of the upland woods here are sheep grazed and lack understorey, so those with a good understorey are probably quite important habitats locally.

Melanie

[paulthomas]

Sounds like a Muntjac to me. The slope of their backs is quite unlike any other deer we get in this country and always reminds me of a giant Rabbit or Hare.

[sheffdaz]

Hi Melanie, very interested to read of possible Munjac in Sheffield area, I've been looking for Roe Deer in Treeton woods and surrounding area recently, would love to see Munjac. It's entirely possible Muntjac are here, over the years animals breed and spread continuously, so will eventually move to most areas, Humans permitting. Please keep updating on sightings and location.

sheffdaz