A wild video from England shows a bunch of deer recently caught on camera causing a ruckus in the roadway. USA Today recently shared the footage on their YouTube channel. It shows a herd of Roe Deer so thick you can’t even count them hurrying across the pavement. A few stragglers trickle in at the end of the line as snow blows across the screen in the opposite direction. In the words of Drake, those deer “got a really a big team” huh?
Judging by the spikey-looking antlers on the bucks, it appears to be a herd of Roe Deer. There are only two species of deer native to Great Britain, the other being Red Deer. According to the Peoples Trust For Endangered Species, there are approximately 350,000 Roe Deer in Scotland and about 150,000 of them in England. Hard telling how many of those 150,000 are in this one particular herd, but it’s definitely a sizeable chunk of them.
More About Roe Deer Hunting In The United Kingdom
Field Sports Journal recently took a deep dive into the rising popularity of Roe Deer hunting in the United Kingdom. Known as the “prince” of their deer species, Roe Deer are a revered species over there. The popularity of hunting them, or “stalking” them as the Brits call it, has grown in popularity quite a bit over the past 50 years.
The species was basically driven to extinction throughout Great Britain by the 18th Century. Roe Deer held on strong throughout pockets of Scotland though where hunting them remained a popular pursuit. In the early 19th century, efforts to reintroduce the species throughout the United Kingdom started to take hold. However, the Roe Deer was mostly considered an agricultural pest fit for extermination until about the 1950s and 60s.
That’s when more modern-day deer management principles and the framework for an organized hunting season started to take shape. Hunting Roe Deer then started to increase in popularity, particularly for aspiring hunters who couldn’t afford to go stalk Red Stags in Scotland. As the popularity of hunting them started to grow, so too did their populations. This was likely due to the fact that the deer started to have value. They were no longer seen as pests, but rather as noble game animals. Therefore efforts to eradicate them ceased and habitats and herds were cultivated. Today Roe Deer hunting is no longer seen as a “poor man’s sport,” but rather a well-respected outdoor activity on par with stalking stags.
Book Your Own Deer Hunting Adventure In The United Kingdom
Though Roe Deer hunting has increased in popularity and status, it’s still an extremely affordable hunt. Success rates are high, even for just one-day hunts. That means it’s a great activity to consider tacking on to any bigger trip you might otherwise have planned. Book Your Hunt has a variety of affordable options for guided hunts that start at around $250 – 300. Though these management-style hunts might not be worth flying across the country for, if you’re already going to be there you might as well cross another species off the bucket list and book an adventure.
This film from Britain’s Fieldsports Channels showcases a glimpse of what Roe Deer hunting is like over there these days.