Muntjac hiding in brambles

One of my permissions has a good population of muntjac but they are very hard to get on top of. The area has large patches of bramble that the deer seem to stay in most of the time. The height of the bramble and its density makes them very hard to see, even when using thermal spotters, and it’s not possible to get into the clumps without getting torn to bits. What could we do to try to improve things from a shooting point of view?

Muntjac are predominantly browsers rather than grazers and brambles are an important food source for them. Because they favour dense cover, the plants give shelter as well as providing food and cover. When bramble has taken over it is very difficult to get on top of deer without significantly improving the shooting possibilities. High seats and multiple shooting lanes are probably the most likely means to success. Creating the shooting lanes without access to proper equipment will, however, be very challenging and it is likely you’ll have to get help from your landlord, or at least his agreement, before you start it.

Work out how you can best position high seats to take advantage of a variety of wind conditions before you decide on locations. Make sure that any shooting lanes you plan are wide enough, with an unobstructed field of view to let you maximise your chances.

Introduce some new feeding on the lanes. Ivy often attracts muntjac so it is worth cutting a few branches and leaving them on your lanes for the deer to find. Trail cams set up over new lanes will let you see what is using them and when, which will allow you to make the most of your opportunities. IW

Brambles provide cover and shelter as well as food for browsing muntjac