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Muntjac numbers


Redgum
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Love em or hate em Muntjac numbers are certainly expending rapidly. Some of us can't wait to see one in our area, after all they are great to stalk and great venison to eat, but others just want em rid. I do some Munty culling not far from the M25 and the numbers are exploding. The picture shows the half day score between three rifles on our cull on Tuesday, we added three more Munties and two roe by the end of the day. No highseats, all stalked and great sport, we have now shot 18 munties in two visits this year and they are still runnin around like rabbits.

post-22471-0-88985500-1363868801_thumb.jpg

Edited by Redgum
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As we drive down the M40 getting toward the M25 you can see em out in the fields like rabbits at dawn. The estate we cull on is a mega pheasant shooting jobby and they hammer the fox's big time, I think this is one of the reasons the munties can get such a hold, the Roe do well too. Where I live near to the Forest of Dean you would think the habitat would be more suitable than the open Beech woodland in the the south east. Munties have been here for over 20years but they are in moderate numbers along with the Roe, the numbers are slowly increasing and I tend to stick to the bucks, just ta help em on a bit. :good:

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I had never seen them around here, until a few months back, now I'm seeing more and more or maybe I just wasn't looking in the right places.

I really enjoy going to the few places I've seen them and watch then run around, CWD I'm proberley watching the Mounties you are stalking haha

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Ha ha maybe you are

There are quite a few about and like I say some of the big blocks of woodland near you have held them for years

 

CWD

been around here for years and years although there population has increased dramatically in the last few years,

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To be fair even though I love to stalk and watch deer it does show failure in the current management system that they are not be controlled in terms of quantity on the ground they currently exist on and also the spread. Be aware that others who don't share our views will introduce less than agreeable methods of control if we cannot get our act together soon. It might not even take very vast numbers just a particular person or persons to be adversely effected

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As I stalk deer full time for a living all over the country I get to see lots of different areas and lots of deer

The muntjac is a born survivor and the spread and population of them is testament to this , true in some areas the population has exploded and become a problem . I have seen one estate in Bedford that has a large pheasant shoot and its not uncommon to see 30+ muntjac on the feed ride just after the keeper has fed and on the other hand I know of another estate nearer to me where there has been muntjac for at least 25 years but there numbers have never been anything like that .

The muntjac doesn't need a big area to survive and as such lots of ground that was otherwise deer free can now offer them and in my eyes this has given lots of people the chance to secure stalking of their own

I would hate to see the status of muntjac being reclassified to vermin as some official bodies would like but to be honest with pressures from these bodies the way they are I think it could become a distinct probability

 

CWD

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Certainly on the increase in North Suffolk.

They are very good at exptying my spring pheasant feeders.

Watched one at the feeder in my garden the other evening. It would shake the spring then stand back whilst its youngun had a feed then grab a few mouthfulls itself then shake the spring again.

About half a dozen pheasants were feeding around its feet and waiting for the munty to do the work!

Soon makes an empty feeder...

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As I stalk deer full time for a living all over the country I get to see lots of different areas and lots of deer

The muntjac is a born survivor and the spread and population of them is testament to this , true in some areas the population has exploded and become a problem . I have seen one estate in Bedford that has a large pheasant shoot and its not uncommon to see 30+ muntjac on the feed ride just after the keeper has fed and on the other hand I know of another estate nearer to me where there has been muntjac for at least 25 years but there numbers have never been anything like that .

The muntjac doesn't need a big area to survive and as such lots of ground that was otherwise deer free can now offer them and in my eyes this has given lots of people the chance to secure stalking of their own

I would hate to see the status of muntjac being reclassified to vermin as some official bodies would like but to be honest with pressures from these bodies the way they are I think it could become a distinct probability

 

CWD

i though cabbage stalked the muntys on merevale ?

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As I stalk deer full time for a living all over the country I get to see lots of different areas and lots of deer

The muntjac is a born survivor and the spread and population of them is testament to this , true in some areas the population has exploded and become a problem . I have seen one estate in Bedford that has a large pheasant shoot and its not uncommon to see 30+ muntjac on the feed ride just after the keeper has fed and on the other hand I know of another estate nearer to me where there has been muntjac for at least 25 years but there numbers have never been anything like that .

The muntjac doesn't need a big area to survive and as such lots of ground that was otherwise deer free can now offer them and in my eyes this has given lots of people the chance to secure stalking of their own

I would hate to see the status of muntjac being reclassified to vermin as some official bodies would like but to be honest with pressures from these bodies the way they are I think it could become a distinct probability

 

CWD

I have to agree, the Muntjac is a born survivor and adapts quickly, a doe only needs half an acre of scrub to survive in and the bucks will get around and service a fair area. They are small and hard to see,especially for the untrained eye, if you do see one then you have probably got ten. Their habit of freezin on the spot can make them almost vanish. The biggest problem they cause on the estate were we cull them is eating the grain from the pheasant feeders and scaring pheasants out prematurely during drives, but as for tree damage and undercanopy browsing the Roe win hands down.

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The muntjac is a born survivor and as it breeds all year round with approx 2 fawns a year it doesn't take to long to reach a sustainable population

Many places have them with some more than others , some areas have them but are rarely seen other than their small slots dotted around the place

Canals ,rivers,train line and motorway embankments have all assisted the muntjac in its spread to colonise most blocks of woodland in its path and I think it's fair to say it will be around forever

 

CWD

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