With March comes the appearance of deer abundance. We explain why.
As the hours of daylight increase but with the trees still bare and an absence of understorey, March represents a prime opportunity to observe and count deer.
One of the key reasons why March is an optimum time to count deer is the lack of vegetation, which leads to excellent visibility and clearer sight lines.
What’s more, as the hours of daylight increase and new buds start to appear, deer are drawn out of cover in search of food. This, coupled with the Roe deer’s tendency to congregate in large family groups, creates a feeling of deer abundance.
While some estates will invest in the use of drones and thermal technology to build up an accurate picture of deer numbers, this will be unfeasible for many recreational deer stalkers who instead may rely on more traditional observation methods.
Whilst new technology increases the likelihood of gaining more accurate results, there still remains a tendency to underestimate deer numbers, especially when more traditional methods are employed. This will be particularly true in wooded areas and areas of thick cover.
Traditionally in England & Wales, March fell within the statutory closed period for female deer, due to the fact that females are heavily pregnant, but legislative changes have now allowed stalking of females in England & Wales throughout March.
Things are a bit different in Scotland where the females of the lager species Red, Sika and fallow are protected from the 16th Feb, whilst the Roe doe season caries on until the end of March.
However, with this increased opportunity comes heightened responsibility.
March marks a critical period for deer. All deer are winter-weary, and the females are heavily pregnant. Deer are therefore at a low ebb in March and so it is essential to exercise restraint, good judgement, and selectivity when stalking. Responsible decision-making and a robust and accurate deer management plan are crucial.
For some, March also offers an opportunity to alter their stalking routine. Deer, accustomed to dawn and dusk forays, may be found sunning themselves during day light hours.
Changing your routine and embracing these subtle shifts in deer behaviour, can yield surprising results and enhance the overall experience. Personally, I use March as an opportunity to change the timings of my stalking forays and to mix up my routine, with dawn and dusk outings being substituted with mid-morning and early afternoon outings, something that also gives me some lie ins!
Either way, as winter gives way to spring and with deer being visible at every turn, March is a wonderful time to be out in the countryside and is in fact one of my favourite months of the year to be stalking.
If you'd like to learn how to hunt deer, a great place to start is by taking the Proficient Deer Stalking certificate Level 1 (PDS1. You can find out more here: Proficient Deer Stalking Course - PDS1
In/out of season in March:
IN Season in England & Wales: Roe Doe, Fallow Doe & Fallow Buck, Sika Stag & Sika Hind, Red Stag & Red Hind, CWD Buck & CWD Doe, Muntjac Buck & Muntjac Doe.
Off Season in England & Wales: Roebuck.
In Season in Scotland: Roebuck, Fallow Buck, Red Stag, Sika Stag & Roe Doe
Off Season in Scotland: Red Hind, Sika Hind, Fallow Doe.
(Editor - Peter Jones)
