Muntjac deer grazing habits

[Andy Collins]

Just wondered if anyone can give me any idea of the height that muntjac can graze to. This is to give newly planted trees the best possible protection. The multi-stem trees will be protected by 4foot stock fencing, with narrower fencing at the base, placed in a 4x4x4 triangle around individual trees, but this is going to be very expensive to place around all the trees. IMO it'd be cheaper to dispatch the deer, but is a no-no with the owners. Fencing the entire area is also out of the question as the land is criss-crossed by footpaths, meaning that it would treble the amount of fencing. I'm thinking of 1,2m tubes for the single stem trees, but i have seen before where deer push against the tubes/stakes until they can eat the tops. Ideas on a postcard please?

[Stephen Blair]

not sure about their grazing habits, but a lot of my customers that have roe deer problems plant something really tasty for them to eat, so to keep them away from the nice stuff.

[Dave]

They can grow to about half a metre, but they can also stand on there hind legs to get to the higher branches.

[David oakman]

Last week i saw a muntjac mother with her baby, and i also counted 19 fallow coming out of the same wood. I have a new plantation planted 2 years ago and last week i picked all the tubes up and they have also eaten new shoots at the tube top. I have been asked to survey deer damage in my woods this year and if you look for muntjac tracks and the fraying to mark their teritory you will see it is only about 2 feet off the ground but yesterday i followed some red tracks and the fraying was nearly 2 meters high with roe and fallow in the middle. Fallow deer have learnt to open tubes. from what i have here on the estate fallow do all the damage to trees muntjac and roe eat mainly weeds and grass and browse hedgerows. Isaw a roe deer yesterday eating new hawthorn leaves.

[Rod]

a friend of mine who has a lot of them uses the branches from the trees to cover coppice stools and the new growth comes up through it

 

the deer can't get over the heap of branches without falling through

 

he also shoots some (as many as pos) but his coppice blocks are good enough for the forestry commission man

[digga]

putting up a deer fence at the moment they say the minimum fence height for muntjac is 1.5m deer have been doing alot of damage in woodlands around here at the mo

[woodlandsolutions]

yep spot on 1.5 mtr minimum for Munjac.

[Andy Collins]

Its not just the height, I've been told in the past that they will lift fencing and push underneath. Is this also correct?

[Rod]

that will depend on the fence

 

if you dig it in or put a wire at the bottom to hold it down then it is unlikely IMO

[David oakman]

Last year i found a dead muntjac in the square sheep fencing it tryed to sqeeze through got stuck and died:bawling: