A colleague contacted me last week and told me about a roebuck that had barked at his presence in the wood, only to keep approaching him at a distance of about 30m to take a closer look. On identifying him it ran off, barking continuously. My colleague asked whether this was common.
When this does happen it is always a dramatic encounter for both parties and thrilling for the human. But to answer his question, it is not an everyday occurrence but does happen enough for me not to be surprised he had this experience.
Roe bark at certain times of the year and there are perfectly understandable reasons why it is heard more from spring through to well after the rut. The wood is already reverberating to the sound but in the next few weeks, the woodland is going to come alive with it. Barking is obviously a communication of some sort but who and what are they communicating with and why?
The alarm sound of roe deer tends to be a series of rapid barks with the first usually more prolonged than following barks. If I am trying to imitate a roe deer bark, for want of a better word I use ‘bouffff’. The ‘B’ is produced as a guttural sound from the throat, and the ‘ffff ’ is pronounced without fully closing the lips, as you would when pronouncing a fully elongated ‘ffff ’.
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Denne historien er fra July 2020-utgaven av Sporting Gun.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Thermal spectrum
Paul Austin explores both ends of the thermal market with latest high-end release from Zeiss alongside a surprising entry-level offering from Xinfrared
Roe, rucks and new ground
Jon Snowdon and his team have much to keep them busy and a new tool to help them
Tales from a lifetime of foxing
Join Mike Powell as he explores the evolving world of fox shooting, drawing from a career that spans seven decades
Fox rot about Charlie
Patrick Hook responds to claims that fox numbers are dangerously on the wane
The sniff of success
Join Ryan Kay as he navigates the fascinating dynamic between a handler and their canine companion
Adventures of Nick & Ted
A new chapter in the histories of Sporting Gun and Sporting Shooter has Nick Ridley reflecting on the dogs he has trained over the years he has been associated with the magazines
The problem: Inflammation in the nervous system
Vet's advice
Gundogs Q&A
No problem goes unsolved as Sporting Gun puts your questions to the gundog experts
Stop-start!
Fran Ardley continues her training tips on disciplining your dog to the stop whistle and the exercises you need to do
Gundogs at the Game Fair
Organising the Game Fair's prestigious gundog competitions: behind-the-scenes with Francesca Prentice