Growth industry

Deer numbers have become a significant problem and much needs to be done to curb them

- Ed Cook

Each year, my business gets more and more deer work enquiries. With a booming population here in the south of England it’s hardly surprising. You don’t need to go far to see a herd of fallow or roe, and in abundance. And if you root around some vegetation I suspect a ‘munty’ will pop out sooner or later.

Without doubt, this country’s deer population is rapidly increasing, and for a variety of reasons. There is a school of thought that says low venison prices mean fewer stalkers are pursuing deer. Another view is that some people take the rights of thousands of acres of deerstalking, yet do little shooting and only want a small number of bucks as trophies.

Then there are those who like to see deer in abundance and are wilfully oblivious to the environmental damage they cause to habitats, especially trees, which negatively impacts on the Government’s aim to achieve net zero. There are also those who say a pack of reintroduced lynx will magic away the deer problem – yes, along with farmers’ livestock.

Species