Muntjac deer grazing habits

[3dogs]

55gr. accu tips, they just love em!

[MattyF]

I had one walk up to about 10 metres of the truck when we were having lunch today....seemed to be interested more in the grass than the trees though...all the damage ive seen by them seems only up to about a meter higher than rabbit damage.

[Treewolf]

I was told some years ago that muntjac will run round the outside of a circular fenced enclosure but go through a rectangular one. The bloke who told me was a gamekeeper in the Chilterns where the muntjac population is large, and presumably knew his onions, but to this day I don't know if this is a wind-up or true. Anyone know?

[Paul Smith]

Muntjac are concentrate browsers( they will eat buds leaves flowers etc), the first signs will be slots then more slots! The understory will soon disappear. They will not normaly stray to far from cover but there is always the exeption!

 

Fraying is done with the canines mainly on whips about pencil thickness. if you are going to use tubes they should be a minimum of 1.2M as this will also give protection from Roe but not Fallow etc.

 

I have seen many Muntjac run straight through sheep fencing without stopping, Ocaisionaly they may get the back leg caught in the top strand or through the sheep net where they will probably die

 

They may tear chicken wire if they run into it and get caught with the short antlers, they are very powerful and dense for their size.

 

maybe a deer management plan should be implemented?

[TheTreeWiseMen]

Is there still no closed season for muntjac in the UK? Been a good long while since I 'wacked and stacked' any of the those little blighters. Do they stand up on their hind legs to reach browsing material?

[Rod]

Is there still no closed season for muntjac in the UK?QUOTE]

 

correct no closed season for muntjac

[TheTreeWiseMen]

I do remember that a .30-06 makes a real mess of them!

[Andy Collins]

The awkward matter is that my client are "city-types" who love to see the fluffy bunnies and cute little deer, but dont want their trees eaten. Personally, I would have them shot, (fluffy bunnies & cute little deer, not the client cos they havent paid yet) so prevention is the idea here. I think the red and white barrier tape is a good deterrent, as it flaps and rustles in the breeze, if a little unsightly!

[TheTreeWiseMen]

Try hanging up old CDs (or the freebie ones you get in the mail) in the tree to be protected.....the deer don't like the sun flashing on the CDs or the noise they make in the wind. A rural Surrey client of mine back in the day had some success with that.

[Rod]

knowing those little sods they'll eat the cds too