Deer in Wicklow.

dogmatix

I was trekking up the Glenealo valley last weekend expecting to see some deer as I had been reliably told there are a lot of them up there. And my sources where not wrong - encountered three groups of them and one herd was at least 18 strong. This made my day what with the kind weather and the absence of anyone else but me.

But I did come across two deer carcasses - both of which where intact but well stripped of flesh. This got me wondering what could have killed these animals as they would be much too big for a fox or even a dog to tackle and I assume a hunter would have taken a kill away with them.

Alun

I guess they probably died of natural causes and had been scavenged by foxes.

There's certainly a lot of them up there, especially up on the Lugduffs to your left as you're walking up the valley. Midweek is also a great time to spot them as they tend to drift down into the valley when it's quieter and there are few walkers about.

dogmatix

Aye - that makes sense now. I remember reading somewhere that the winter was the coldest for over a decade.