Muntjac deer

philbk

There have been reports of Muntjac deer south of the border for several years now but I have yet to meet someone who has seen one. Has anyone on hear seen any??

Cass

No.

I seen a couple of years back that a few were marked in the returns for the DHL. Never seen anything posted about it though or any follow up. In the social media age we live in where people tweet about their last sh*t i find it hard to believe someone or a few people shot some but did not post it somewhere.

Grizzly 45

Like the famous wild black cats of Ireland that apparently stalked the land in the silly seasons in the oughties,they seem to have become extinct.:P
Very strange for a animal that is a prolific breeder and can produce 4to 6 offspring in a year....

philbk

There are certainly Muntjac in the North - they have been well documented. I suspect the population down here needs to reach a critical mass before there will be many sightings. To your average punter a deer is a deer and a Muntjac is probably a baby one!! Most non hunters wouldn't be able to tell species apart.

cookimonster

http://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/asbo-bambi-aggressive-muntjac-deer-multiplying-across-northern-ireland-30639832.html

Articles like the above don't have me reaching for the stalking gear ..... another illegal pet or escapee from somewhere

http://invasivespeciesireland.com/species-alerts/muntjac-deer/

Even with this invasive species alert there's no real evidence - confirmed sightings are not what you think.

I would counter your argument and reverse it - to most punters they wouldn't know what a fawn or calf was. I showed a field dressed 3 year old Sika hind to some students and they couldn't get over the size of it - how small it was.

If you consider how the deer population exploded in areas of the country that had escapees from farms, private holdings and hunts do you not think that such an animal that breeds all year round ( females are covered as soon as there's a calves at foot) would have firmly established itself here.

Cass is right in his post- the snap happy media loving public out there would have eventually outed them.

Personally I can't wait for the little buggers, I've a good few recipes for them!

Cass

philbk wrote: »

! Most non hunters wouldn't be able to tell species apart.

Yeah, but most non hunters are not out after them so would never see.

Also if a hunter cannot distinguish between a fawn and a Muntjac they need to turn in their "hunter's card".

Grizzly 45

"The deer are only the size of a springer spaniel, but the males have sharp antlers and canine fangs, and populations can explode to more than 100 animals per square kilometre. And as well as attacking dogs, they can be dangerous to people."

Beware the savage Muntjac!!!A fierce beastie with big sharp pointy teeth and horns!:rolleyes:
Even Monty Python would be embarrassed to do a sketch based on this.

cookimonster

Muntjac......add them to list of suspects for the 'unusual lambs death'......