http://www.rifleshootermagazine.co.uk 69the animals that are reacquired into
the population.
One of the most important figures
after your mortality rate is your
recruitment rate. In many mammals,
the effects of an increasing density will
fall heavily on the young, and for our
Highland red deer, research has proven
that juvenile mortality is at its highest
in the first two weeks of life and again
at the last of their first and second
winters. Climatic factors can take their
toll in the early weeks and time spent
having a look will support your
decision-making process throughout
the year.
If you have the time, it is also
worthwhile keeping some basic
measurements of juveniles and, when
possible, popping an ear tag in, whichA
t this time of year, as the
days stretch to their longest
and the roaring torrents of
winter turn to a pleasant
trickle, the hillsides of the west coast
turn to a pleasant green, and it feels
very much like a period of renewal.
This year, our renewal commenced
fairly early with a dry spell that lasted
nearly five weeks, drying out the
waterlogged hill and giving us all a
spring in our step, so it really came as
no surprise when the first bellows were
heard from hinds on 28 May. Over the
following week, a good number of
hinds could be heard bellowing around
the peninsula.
The calving bellow, as it is called, is
frequently mistaken for a red stag
roaring, but this plaintive moan is aprecursor to the arrival of new life and
an opportunity to see how well things
have gone in the last year. The
gestation of red deer is typically 234 to
236 days. However, in recent years,
having monitored some of our herds
closely, it’s become apparent that
there’s a lot more elasticity in birth
date than I had first imagined.
The arrival of the deer calves is
always a highlight; it sees the start of
the new year for the deer and is an
important time for deer managers. As
with the management of any natural
resource, the more time you spend as
a detective, gathering information, the
easier it is to effectively plan both for
this season and for the future. It is
important to be able to distinguish the
animals that you lose each year andTIME FOR RENEWAL IN
A CHANGING WORLD
Niall Rowentree takes stock of his deer at this crucial time of year and assesses the
challenges for the season ahead
A HIGHLAND VIEW:
PICTURES:NIALL ROWANTREE»
NORTH OF THE BORDER
BELOW: Stags
are well on their
way to growing this
year’s antlers