{"id":39238,"date":"2024-08-05T17:49:41","date_gmt":"2024-08-05T15:49:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/575d19c4-0b0c-483a-9f7d-c6d267f74577"},"modified":"2024-08-05T19:26:39","modified_gmt":"2024-08-05T17:26:39","slug":"fallow-deer-guide-where-they-live-what-they-eat-and-how-they-differ-them-other-deer-species","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/fallow-deer-guide-where-they-live-what-they-eat-and-how-they-differ-them-other-deer-species\/","title":{"rendered":"Fallow deer guide: where they live, what they eat – and how they differ them other deer species"},"content":{"rendered":"

Learn all about the beautiful fallow deer in our expert guide <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Monday, 05 August 2024 at 15:49 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Unlike their red and roe deer<\/a> cousins, fallow deer are not considered truly native to Britain. <\/strong><\/p>

Their introduction, albeit shrouded in the mists of time, is usually attributed to the Normans, who brought them to England as quarry for la chasse<\/em>, though there is some evidence that the Romans<\/a> might have imported some deer here in the fifth century AD.<\/p>

British deer guide: how to identify and best places to see<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
But the history of fallow deer in the British Isles goes back much further than that, to 120,000 years ago, before the last great ice age<\/a>. The climate then was hotter than it is today, and the fauna included rhinos<\/a>, straight-tusked elephants<\/a>, wild horses<\/a>, lions<\/a>, hyenas<\/a> and giant deer.<\/p>
Britain’s lost beasts: when did the moose, wolf and bear go extinct in UK?<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
How big are fallow deer?<\/h2>
Male fallow deer are bigger than females, weighing 46-80kg compared to females weighing 35-52kg (female). Nose to tail males measure 1.5-1.8m, while females measure 1.4-1.6m.<\/p>
What do fallow deer look like?<\/h2>
Getty images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Fallow deer are usually fawn with white spots, although they can go darker and greyer in winter. Buck has part-flattened, palmate antlers<\/a>; both sexes have a long tail with a black central stripe.<\/p>
How to identify deer antlers<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
Where do fallow deer live<\/h2>
Getty video<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Fallow deers favour broadleaf woodland, conifer plantations, parks and fields.<\/p>
What do fallow deer eat?<\/h2>
Fallow deer mainly eat grass and herbs, but can also eat foliage and nuts in winter.<\/p>
When does the fallow deer rut take place?<\/h2>
September to early November<\/p>
Best places in the UK to see the magnificent autumn deer rut<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
Fallow deer lifecycle<\/h2>
Fallow doe gives birth to a fawn (occasionally twins) in June or July. Young suckle for up to nine months. Bucks take seven years to mature: does can breed in first year.<\/p>
How long do fallow deer live for?<\/h2>
According to the Mammal Society<\/a> male fallow deer live to 8-10 years, while females live for12-16 years.<\/p>
6 fallow deer tracking signs to look for<\/h2>
Pits and scrapes<\/h3>
The defining features of fallow buck territories; up to 2m in diameter. Typically located near deer paths – or racks. Scraping activity peaks September-October.<\/p>
Racks<\/h3>
Well-worn tracks created by deer scrambling up or down steep banks. Often in matching pairs on opposite sides of footpaths<\/a> and lanes<\/p>
Fewmets<\/h3>
The traditional term for deer dung, which can be either a scattering of small droppings<\/a>, 2-3cm in length, or a single cluster resembling a knobbly hand grenade.<\/p>
Gnawed bark<\/h3>
All deer gnaw bark to some extent, leaving vertical tooth marks. This is bad news for foresters, though not all trees are targeted.<\/p>
Thrashed vegetation <\/h3>
In common with red and sika stags, fallow bucks use low tree trunks and branches to scrape the velvet off their antlers<\/a> in late August-early September. During the build-up to the rut proper, they also thrash vegetation to intimidate rivals.<\/p>
Browse-line<\/h3>
The browsing of fallow and other big deer leaves trees with a well-defined browse line 1.5-2m above ground.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Learn all about the beautiful fallow deer in our expert guide <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":39239,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/08\/fallow-deer-guide-where-they-live-what-they-eat-and-how-they-differ-them-other-deer-species.jpg",2121,1414,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/08\/fallow-deer-guide-where-they-live-what-they-eat-and-how-they-differ-them-other-deer-species-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/08\/fallow-deer-guide-where-they-live-what-they-eat-and-how-they-differ-them-other-deer-species-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/08\/fallow-deer-guide-where-they-live-what-they-eat-and-how-they-differ-them-other-deer-species-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/08\/fallow-deer-guide-where-they-live-what-they-eat-and-how-they-differ-them-other-deer-species-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/08\/fallow-deer-guide-where-they-live-what-they-eat-and-how-they-differ-them-other-deer-species-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/08\/fallow-deer-guide-where-they-live-what-they-eat-and-how-they-differ-them-other-deer-species-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Learn all about the beautiful fallow deer in our expert guide","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/39238"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

How big are fallow deer?<\/h2>Male fallow deer are bigger than females, weighing 46-80kg compared to females weighing 35-52kg (female). Nose to tail males measure 1.5-1.8m, while females measure 1.4-1.6m.<\/p>

What do fallow deer eat?<\/h2>Fallow deer mainly eat grass and herbs, but can also eat foliage and nuts in winter.<\/p>

Fallow deer lifecycle<\/h2>Fallow doe gives birth to a fawn (occasionally twins) in June or July. Young suckle for up to nine months. Bucks take seven years to mature: does can breed in first year.<\/p>

Pits and scrapes<\/h3>The defining features of fallow buck territories; up to 2m in diameter. Typically located near deer paths – or racks. Scraping activity peaks September-October.<\/p>

How big are fallow deer?<\/h2>
Male fallow deer are bigger than females, weighing 46-80kg compared to females weighing 35-52kg (female). Nose to tail males measure 1.5-1.8m, while females measure 1.4-1.6m.<\/p>

What do fallow deer eat?<\/h2>
Fallow deer mainly eat grass and herbs, but can also eat foliage and nuts in winter.<\/p>

Fallow deer lifecycle<\/h2>
Fallow doe gives birth to a fawn (occasionally twins) in June or July. Young suckle for up to nine months. Bucks take seven years to mature: does can breed in first year.<\/p>

Pits and scrapes<\/h3>
The defining features of fallow buck territories; up to 2m in diameter. Typically located near deer paths – or racks. Scraping activity peaks September-October.<\/p>