Lockdown effects on roe

What effect do you think the lockdown on stalking will have on roebuck this season? Will it be beneficial to the deer population?

As with other aspects of our daily life, we are all in uncharted territory, but, on balance, I don’t think it will prove to be beneficial to our roe population if a lack of activity on our part leads to an expansion in numbers.

The usual major cull of all age roebuck that normally happens over the first 14 days of the season hasn’t taken place. While this will have resulted in a number of high-scoring mature bucks temporarily escaping a trip to the game dealer, it will have had the same result on the next level down, the one below that and so on.

So, in the short-term, the population of bucks will be higher than in most years, as will the number of mature pregnant does that will now give birth, having survived the end of the doe season along with their followers.

During the lockdown period, the cover will have grown up and the deer will be less visible and less shootable than they were at the start of the season. Mind you, with so much less human activity, they might become less wary. Photographs of goats and deer in unfamiliar settings taken early in the lockdown period might well point to what is to come.

As parts of the country see an easing of lockdown — announced by the Government last week — I imagine that the shortfall of April will be made up, given an increased level of stalking effort from both professional and recreational stalkers.

However, for those areas where restrictions remain, the task may prove to be more challenging — particularly if restrictions remain in place over the summer months. IW