I was standing at the gate for no reason that I can recall, when I was hailed by a man who was hurrying down the track in my direction.

“I’ve just seen a big herd of stags” he panted, without the courtesy of a ‘good morning’ or ‘hello’.

“Good morning”. I replied “They would almost certainly be Fallow bucks, not stags.”

“Oh no, I’m not having that” he snapped, “I know they’re stags ‘cos they’ve got big horns” and without further ado he continued on his way muttering under his breath about ‘know-alls’.

I was sorry that my response had irked him but his comments did not surprise me. There seems to be a good deal of uncertainty among some of us when it comes to the recognition of and the terminology related to the species of deer that live in the Forest. So, at the risk of sounding like a ‘Know-all’ let’s take the opportunity to highlight some of their distinguishing features and at the same time try to unravel their mysterious nomenclature.

There are six recognised species of wild deer in Great Britain. Of these six species only two are true natives; the others have either been introduced or have escaped from private zoos or deer parks. One of the six is a non resident of the New Forest, and unless you have a penchant for skulking around in the reed beds of the great east- coast river estuaries and fens, then you are unlikely to see the Chinese Water deer in the wild.

Of the Forest residents the Red deer is the largest wild mammal in Great Britain and is a true native. It can be confused, however, with its close relative, a Japanese import called the Sika. The males of both species are known as stags and the females as hinds, whilst their offspring are called calves. During part of the year Red and Sika stags carry large, branching, pointed antlers --- not horns, please! But how to tell them apart? The Red is a much bigger animal and as the name implies it sports a rich, red coat in the summer, the Sika’s coat however, is covered in creamy spots arranged in horizontal rows. The Red has large lozenge-shaped ears whilst the Sika’s ears are shorter with broad lobes. Because most people’s view of Forest deer is usually the back end of the animal as it disappears at a rate of knots over the horizon or into the undergrowth, it is useful to be able to recognise each species from behind. The Red sports a natty yellow rump which extends above a relatively short tail but the Sika is much more spectacular it has a pure white rump patch that can be fanned-out when the animal is alarmed. Its tail is short but has a black line down the centre During the mating season or rut as it is known the Red stags can be heard roaring, a sound not unlike that of a cow, The Sika stags whistle at this time of year, which can be quite unnerving when heard for the first time, in a wood, as darkness falls.

It is thought that early in the middle-ages the Normans introduced the Fallow to this country. It is heavier than the Sika and is the most numerous deer in the Forest. It is best known in its summer coat of rich chestnut covered in sparse creamy spots, but this species can also come in melanistic (black), white, or menil (a light beige colour). The fallow male is known as a buck and mature animals carry large palmate antlers. During the rut, they can be heard ‘groaning’ or ‘belching’ on their stands. The female Fallow is a doe and her offspring are called fawns. Fallow deer have a long active tail with a black/brown stripe down the middle and all but the white varieties have a black inverted horse-shoe shaped mark on their rump.

We have two more species of deer in the Forest, the Roe and the Muntjac; both are considerably smaller than those we have already looked at. In both the males are referred to as bucks whilst the females are does, their off spring are called kids. The Roe is a native deer and it is leggy and graceful, the Muntjac, however is an Asiatic escapee that is extending its territory dramatically. It is an ugly little beast, smaller than the Roe and with a hunched posture. The Roe is identified by its bright red summer coat and large black-rimmed mobile ears. The buck is easily recognised in the season by his short, sharp, pronged antlers. Roe deer are the only species without a tail in the U.K but like the Sika they can both fan out their lemon coloured rump patches when alarmed. Both buck and doe utter a single ‘barh’ if suspicious and if trapped or extremely frightened can emit a terrible scream.

You are more likely to hear the Muntjac or ‘barking deer’ as it is also known; both sexes will bark continually –not dissimilar to a terrier, when they suspect danger. The summer coat is chestnut brown with white underpants and their long tails are white underneath and ginger on top. When alarmed and in flight, the tail is held erect like a white flag and the small white rump patch is exposed. Both bucks and does have large canine teeth or tusks and the bucks in season carry short inward curved antlers.

Well there you are, a brief resume of the deer of the New forest, I hope it has been of some use, but if not ---oh deer!

The article next week mentions slapped wrists and a change of name. Enclosure or Inclosure? it is the author’s decision made on advice from the Commission, so we will have to follow suit.