Tips for spotting deer

For those seeking deer on their once a day lockdown walk, here are some great tips courtesy of the British Deer Society.

• The best time of day is either early morning or late evening when deer are moving about in search of food and grazing.
• Move slowly and quietly and look ahead using binoculars to see into the undergrowth.
• Use the lie of the land and undergrowth to hide your approach.
• Try to walk upwind if you can - although park deer are used to human scent wild deer will be gone before you knew they were there.
• Look for the signs of deer such as hoof prints (slots), droppings (crotties or fewmets) and hair caught on barbed wire fences. With experience, you will also be able to spot where the deer lie down at night (crouches) and where they have damaged trees by browsing, bark stripping and fraying.
• Carry a camera - there is always a chance of that once-in-a-lifetime photograph.