Low down bark damage

[SweetBeam]

Recently took on managing a small SC/HBM coppice, and notice some fresh damage to some trees.  I've seen Muntjac, rabbit, squirrel, and badgers in the wood.  Who is most likely responsible please?

Edited April 28, 2020 by SweetBeam

[Stubby]

Lowish but does look like deer damage . probably the Munti.

[David Cropper]

If its on the edge of a ride I would suggest roebuck. They tend to use our bounderies, i.e. roads, rides etc as their boundaries. General rule of thumb is smaller in width the sapling, the smaller and younger the buck. That's why you try and leave the dominant buck in place when managing the roe population. If you take the mature beast out, then his place will try to be filled with all the young ones, who then thrash to mark the empty territory. Good management is everything. Only take the old boy when he's past it and you can allow a new dominant male to replace him. 

[drinksloe]

Definitely deer.

 

Must admit I never noticed roe bore scoreing like that before, usually roe will thrash or fray so not as tidy and ull see bark shavings/peelings still attached at top and bottom of the rub/scrape.

Prob just coming to the end of a prime time for roe as should all be in hard horn the now.

Late on July/ aug time pre rut will increase again often with a triangle off bare earth below tree were it's has scrapped it's feet too.

 

Not familiar with munties ( none up here, yet) but would say more likely to be them.

Do. Munties score/mark with there teeth at all?

Looks more like that with the depth and sharpness of scrapes and distance apart.

With antlers would be less tidy and not uniform distances on trees that small

Edited April 30, 2020 by drinksloe

[MattyF]

Deere or hare??

[David Cropper]

1 minute ago, MattyF said:

Deere or hare??

Deer

[MattyF]

Deer

Hmmmm obviously the deer fence isn’t working then!

[MattyF]

What would you suggest David , there is about 20acres of x mass trees and 10 of broadleafs surrounded keilder forest so there are quite a few deer! , I can find where they are getting in and fix but then they are stuck in there... so would need removing completely?
They are starting to do a lot of damage.. but if they restore a natural level of strong buck keeping others out I don’t mind ... then again I don’t think there is enough land in the block to maintain even a small population.

[SweetBeam]

Doing some more research and muntjac have scent glades around the top of their heads, and below their eyes.  The males have downward pointing canine teeth (tusks).  I wonder if this bark damage is a consequence of scenting activity?

 

Photo here:

[drinksloe]

The above would make sense to me SB, but I will admit not familiar with muntie behaviour

Can be hard to manage by all accounts, quite intresting biology if read in to them, have young every 7 months so do need managed.

Another victory for Victorians bringing over fancy exotic animals

 

Matty I'm not sure that's deer damage, infact I'd say it's not, but only on tablet so photos not real clear.

To me the bark stripping is too low down and also with deer usually a clean cut at bottom at scraggly at top as no top incisors.

Could be rabbit hare, vole or even sheep all depends on any other signs.

Any footprints or droppings fur on wire fences

 

Really ur better of just shooting them ( althou females out of season now) 30 acts fenced won't really be enough on its own when enclosed if they start breeding.

U could plant some sacrificial trees like willow, deer often fray them 1st. 

Or plant some deer lawn somewhere in a safe shootable position so u can watch the deer as well as control them if/when needed

Plus u could end up with a bit of organic venision, bad to beat

 

Are ur trees commercial or just amenity?? If just for looks the damage might not matter as will just leave u with a bushier multi stemmed tree, different story if commercial