Br. vet.]. (1977) 133, 215
OBSERVATIONS ON THE WEIGHING OF PARK DEER
By O.
DANSIE
Welwyn, Herifordshire
INTRODUCTION
The value of venison as a crop is currently arousing considerable interest and extremes of opinion as to the best way of culling deer range from those who depend on domesticated tame deer to those who manage a wild deer population and believe there is no alternative to shooting them with a rifle. The catching and weighing of a group of wild park deer, as an aid to cropping, is described and discussed here.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The herd, consisting of 140 animals, was kept throughout the year on about 300 acres of old permanent pasture. No supplementary feeding was given. The species involved were red deer (Cervus elaphus), fallow (Dama dama) and sika (Cervus nippon manchuriensis). The deer were guided into an oval enclosure (Fig. I) on seven occasions beginning in December 1974, separated into small groups to facilitate handling, weighed, marked, examined individually and then released back into the park. The conventional cattle weigh-crush used would not admit red stags older than two years of age.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
On the first occasion all the red deer, except one hind, 15 of 35 sika and eight of 46 fallow were caught. This reflects the results in general and demonstrates the ease with which a group of red deer may be manipulated and the difficulties presented in the attempted capture of fallow. Sika have in the past proved easier to catch but on one occasion half the herd were lost while being driven in. The numbers of deer caught and their weights are set out in Tables I and II. They show that under park conditions periodic weighings are practicable and that female red deer calves achieve more than 70% of their 18-month-old weight at six months, an average growth rate of 0'36 kg/day. Calves continued to grow in their second year, stags averaging I I7 kg and hinds 105 kg at 18 months old. Table II shows the loss of weight which tends to occur in the late winter.
BRITISH VETERINARY JOURNAL, 133,
216
2
The growth rate of the sika and fallow deer was less. The weights of deer described here lie between those of wild deer kept in poor environments and tame, artificially fed deer.
Park
-----
-
-
Park
\
~
Moveable Fen ce
Weigh Cru sh
Fig.
I.
Catching pens.
Analysis of logarithms of weights showed the relative growth weight, i.e. the rate of increase per unit of time and per unit of weight already obtained, was in all three species and both sexes, effectively constant. The standard error for the difference in average log. weight between red and other species was 0.0672 ± 0 '065 and for the slope of the fitted lines was 0 '0387 ± ° .0°387. These results suggest that by maintaining a relatively large hind group of red deer an output could be obtained in excess of that which results from management plans commonly used in deer parks at present. This requires the removal of hind calves, except those required for breeding, at six months and males at 15 months of age, that is before their growth rates begin to slow down. In addition the park population would be minimized at the time of year when grazing is poorest and so the need for supplementary feeding reduced. It is of some interest that the yearling stag with the greatest number of points on his antlers (10) was also the lightest at 105 kg. The heaviest calf, 90 kg at six months, was subsequently discovered to be pregnant. The heaviest yearling male red of 135 kg and 7 points in 1974 had 16 points in 1975.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE WEIGHING OF PARK DEER
217
TABLE I WEIGHT OF RED, SIKA AND FALLOW DEER
Age (months)
No. weighed
Av. weight (kg)
Red stags
Red hinds
Sika stags
Sika hinds
3 6 9 15 18 24 36
12 II
2 9 13 9 3
3 6 15 18 24
14 20 19 7
44.92 74.0 89·9 105"2 144.0
6 15 18 24 36
8 2 I
38.3 59·7 80·0 73. 2 100·0
6 18
12 2
39·5 47·5
6 12 15 18 24 36
5 2 3 2 6 2
29.8 25"0 42.0 45.0 65. 1 69.6
5 6 9 15 18
3 8 3
27. 6 34·3 32.6 36.0 60·0
4
Fallow bucks
Fallow does
48.2 75"9 54·5 112·5 117·3 134·4 168·6
I
2
In the past deer were caught for culling. McConnochie (1923) describes the stone pens on the island of Rhum as follows: 'Before the use of firearms their methods of killing deer was as follows: On each side of a glen, formed by two mountains stone dykes were begun pretty high in the mountains and carried to the lower part of the valley, always drawing nearer, till within three or four feet of each other. From this narrow pass a circular space was enclosed by a stone wall, of a height sufficient to confine the deer; to this place they were pursued and destroyed. ' He also gives several examples of deer being moved in considerable numbers and for distances of seven to 10 miles to a slaughter site. The last instances were about the year 1800.
218
BRITISH VETERINARY JOURNAL, 133, 2 TABLE II WEIGHT CHANGES OF MATURE FEMALE DEER DURING WINTER
Month
No. weighed
Av. weight (kg)
Sept. Oct. Dec. jan. Feb.
33 2 39 2
99'2 100'5 106'3 97 '0 84'5
Dec. jan.
6 17
58 '3 57"4
Oct. Nov. Dec. jan. Mar.
2 4 10 6
5°'0 5°'0 53'0 49'0 37'3
Red hinds
Sika hinds Fallow does
It may be that methodical weighings can again be employed for wild deer and their management thus improved. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to acknowledge the assistance of the Knebworth deer handling team and in particular Mr P. Delap. I am greatly indebted to Professor J. A. Laing for the loan of the weight-crush and to Dr F. B. Leech for statistical advice. REFERENCE MCCONNOCHIE,
A. I. (1923). Deer and Deer Forests oj Scotland. London: Witherby. (Acceptedjor publication 9 February 1976)
OBSERVATIONS ON THE WEIGHING OF PARK DEER
By O.
DANSIE
Welwyn, Herifordshire
INTRODUCTION
The value of venison as a crop is currently arousing considerable interest and extremes of opinion as to the best way of culling deer range from those who depend on domesticated tame deer to those who manage a wild deer population and believe there is no alternative to shooting them with a rifle. The catching and weighing of a group of wild park deer, as an aid to cropping, is described and discussed here.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The herd, consisting of 140 animals, was kept throughout the year on about 300 acres of old permanent pasture. No supplementary feeding was given. The species involved were red deer (Cervus elaphus), fallow (Dama dama) and sika (Cervus nippon manchuriensis). The deer were guided into an oval enclosure (Fig. I) on seven occasions beginning in December 1974, separated into small groups to facilitate handling, weighed, marked, examined individually and then released back into the park. The conventional cattle weigh-crush used would not admit red stags older than two years of age.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
On the first occasion all the red deer, except one hind, 15 of 35 sika and eight of 46 fallow were caught. This reflects the results in general and demonstrates the ease with which a group of red deer may be manipulated and the difficulties presented in the attempted capture of fallow. Sika have in the past proved easier to catch but on one occasion half the herd were lost while being driven in. The numbers of deer caught and their weights are set out in Tables I and II. They show that under park conditions periodic weighings are practicable and that female red deer calves achieve more than 70% of their 18-month-old weight at six months, an average growth rate of 0'36 kg/day. Calves continued to grow in their second year, stags averaging I I7 kg and hinds 105 kg at 18 months old. Table II shows the loss of weight which tends to occur in the late winter.
BRITISH VETERINARY JOURNAL, 133,
216
2
The growth rate of the sika and fallow deer was less. The weights of deer described here lie between those of wild deer kept in poor environments and tame, artificially fed deer.
Park
-----
-
-
Park
\
~
Moveable Fen ce
Weigh Cru sh
Fig.
I.
Catching pens.
Analysis of logarithms of weights showed the relative growth weight, i.e. the rate of increase per unit of time and per unit of weight already obtained, was in all three species and both sexes, effectively constant. The standard error for the difference in average log. weight between red and other species was 0.0672 ± 0 '065 and for the slope of the fitted lines was 0 '0387 ± ° .0°387. These results suggest that by maintaining a relatively large hind group of red deer an output could be obtained in excess of that which results from management plans commonly used in deer parks at present. This requires the removal of hind calves, except those required for breeding, at six months and males at 15 months of age, that is before their growth rates begin to slow down. In addition the park population would be minimized at the time of year when grazing is poorest and so the need for supplementary feeding reduced. It is of some interest that the yearling stag with the greatest number of points on his antlers (10) was also the lightest at 105 kg. The heaviest calf, 90 kg at six months, was subsequently discovered to be pregnant. The heaviest yearling male red of 135 kg and 7 points in 1974 had 16 points in 1975.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE WEIGHING OF PARK DEER
217
TABLE I WEIGHT OF RED, SIKA AND FALLOW DEER
Age (months)
No. weighed
Av. weight (kg)
Red stags
Red hinds
Sika stags
Sika hinds
3 6 9 15 18 24 36
12 II
2 9 13 9 3
3 6 15 18 24
14 20 19 7
44.92 74.0 89·9 105"2 144.0
6 15 18 24 36
8 2 I
38.3 59·7 80·0 73. 2 100·0
6 18
12 2
39·5 47·5
6 12 15 18 24 36
5 2 3 2 6 2
29.8 25"0 42.0 45.0 65. 1 69.6
5 6 9 15 18
3 8 3
27. 6 34·3 32.6 36.0 60·0
4
Fallow bucks
Fallow does
48.2 75"9 54·5 112·5 117·3 134·4 168·6
I
2
In the past deer were caught for culling. McConnochie (1923) describes the stone pens on the island of Rhum as follows: 'Before the use of firearms their methods of killing deer was as follows: On each side of a glen, formed by two mountains stone dykes were begun pretty high in the mountains and carried to the lower part of the valley, always drawing nearer, till within three or four feet of each other. From this narrow pass a circular space was enclosed by a stone wall, of a height sufficient to confine the deer; to this place they were pursued and destroyed. ' He also gives several examples of deer being moved in considerable numbers and for distances of seven to 10 miles to a slaughter site. The last instances were about the year 1800.
218
BRITISH VETERINARY JOURNAL, 133, 2 TABLE II WEIGHT CHANGES OF MATURE FEMALE DEER DURING WINTER
Month
No. weighed
Av. weight (kg)
Sept. Oct. Dec. jan. Feb.
33 2 39 2
99'2 100'5 106'3 97 '0 84'5
Dec. jan.
6 17
58 '3 57"4
Oct. Nov. Dec. jan. Mar.
2 4 10 6
5°'0 5°'0 53'0 49'0 37'3
Red hinds
Sika hinds Fallow does
It may be that methodical weighings can again be employed for wild deer and their management thus improved. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to acknowledge the assistance of the Knebworth deer handling team and in particular Mr P. Delap. I am greatly indebted to Professor J. A. Laing for the loan of the weight-crush and to Dr F. B. Leech for statistical advice. REFERENCE MCCONNOCHIE,
A. I. (1923). Deer and Deer Forests oj Scotland. London: Witherby. (Acceptedjor publication 9 February 1976)
