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Fallow deer


Benthejockey
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Talking to a farmer the other morning and a local walker had seen a couple of white deer. Ball cocks thought I. I’d seen a fallow pricket in the area early last year but this is a roe strong hold - even though I haven’t seen any for ages especially when I’ve been out shooting. Imagine my surprise when I checked a fresh camera trap that’s only been up a week or so and there’s white deer on it! Apparently a small herd of fallow does have moved in. What’s even more bizarre is there’s all colour types - common, Menil, leucistic and melanistic. I’m not up on fallow genetics, could this be natural variation or are they runaways from a collection? I’m going to feed them and hopefully they’ll stay. I’m absolutely amazed at the variation and that they’ve just appeared here. They look youngish does so could they have split off the main herd and formed their own little herd or is it more likely they’re on the run?

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Sounds like I’ve been lucky in finding all 4 colour variants but they’re not all that uncommon. I do wonder where they’ve come from though. There’s a herd that ranges over a vast territory on our side of the A49 but they’re all common coloured. But then they’d be easy enough to poach off the road whereas these new ones on the other side of the road are harder to find. I only found them more by accident than anything else!

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Easy to see though:good:

This one was on full rut when I shot him and looked a brownish ginger colour with all the 'stain' flowing from him and muck he had thrown about. Major job for the taxidermist just to get the cape clean but he do a good job. This one was shot in 1986 and in Texas USA, free ranging and the whole herd was white.  Only think I have seen one white one in the UK in the wild over 40yrs on fallow territory.

367.JPG

Edited by Walker570
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On 12/01/2019 at 19:06, ShootingEgg said:

Its great to have one in a herd and leave it, makes it easy to find them... 

While i agree with the above, and have heard them called 'judas' fallow as give herd away.

But if a new herd on newish ground any white 1's will attract attention of undesirbles and u might end up the whole lot poached if ur in a bad area. So mibee take the lot??

It's a shame when u have to think like that

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On 15/01/2019 at 11:46, scotslad said:

Aye but sadly if there was no white 1's even fewer folk would see them. They do stand out plus the 'novelty' factor

Sad when u have to manage deer for those reasons but sometimes better for the rest of them

Sadly think the same scotslad. Just the same as trying to leave big boys to improve, always someone to ruin the intention?

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Knowing fallow they could all be gone tomorrow so cull sensibly and hope the two legged vermin don't get amongst them.  Try and keep them away from roads and public access as in my experience they work in threes, spotter car, shooter car and then carcase van. They don't like to work to far from a four wheeled escape because they know it will be maybe next day before police turn out.

They have all the kit as well, thermals the lot.

Edited by Walker570
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2 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Knowing fallow they could all be gone tomorrow so cull sensibly and hope the two legged vermin don't get amongst them.  Try and keep them away from roads and public access as in my experience they work in threes, spotter car, shooter car and then carcase van. They don't like to work to far from a four wheeled escape because they know it will be maybe next day before police turn out.

They have all the kit as well, thermals the lot.

That's why leaving/shooting white deer doesn't make a ****s worth of difference any more. 

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I might get chance to go and have a look this afternoon weather dependant, also the munchkin has been awake since 2 this morning and me and her have been up since 4 watching the discovery channel! Just managed to get her to go to sleep in her swingy chair whilst her mum had a couple of hours sleep! Hopefully she’ll give Mrs BTJ an easy morning whilst I’m at work! Otherwise getting out shooting might be a bit tricky 😂

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Im told by all my land owners that i must shoot all the light and white before anything else. poachers deer. you can see them for miles and find one, you can bet there's a few commons that you wouldn't have seen. the land owners are starting to lighten up now that thermal is easy to get hold of as their all white in the thermal. i still shoot the bucks out but i like the does. Goats i call them

White Fallow Buck.jpg

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