Our 6 Deer Species: A Quick Guide

Most of us reading this will be more than aware of the different deer species inhabiting our little island. For those that aren't, we have six species of deer spread across the UK, each very unique in appearance, behaviour and ecology.

Even for the seasoned stalkers we speak to, it's fairly rare that someone has a lot of experience or knowledge of all six species. I've spoken to Scottish hill stalking veterans that have likely forgotten more about red deer than I'll ever know, but found them stumped when stalking a muntjac in dense woodland, and found the exact opposite of an expert Chinese water deer manager in England that struggled when pursuing larger deer in woodland.

This is all perfectly natural – after all, we can't all be experts in everything, and with deer species scattered across the UK, many stalkers will have to travel significantly to experience certain species.

So I thought it would be interesting to do a very quick and basic rundown on each of the six species. Keep in mind that entire books have been written on each species, so this will be very quick and basic, but may well lead you into a bit more reading or put you on the front foot when it comes to the deer species segment of the DSC1!

I'll split them down into two categories: native deer, that have always been in the UK, and non-native deer that have been introduced to the UK at some time or another and established and thrived in the wild.

Our native deer

Red deer

• Largest land mammal in the UK, with stags capable of reaching over 250kg
• Males have large, multi-pointed antlers, with mature stags typically having 5-6 points per antler
• Males are called stags, females are called hinds, young are called calves
• Easy to identify by the large, multi-pointed antlers, red/brown coat with sandy rump patch and short tail; males have a shaggy mane around the neck
• A herding species, with groups of males and females keeping mostly separate until the breeding time (rut) in autumn
• Stags make a loud roaring sound when rutting – a unique and iconic sound
• A highly iconic species – just picture the deer on an M&S shortbread tin at Christmas and you'll be about right!

Roe deer

• One of our three smaller deer species, weighing around 20kg
• Males are called bucks, females are called does, young are often called kids
• Males have short, branched antlers usually with three points per side and bumps on the beams called pearling
• Vivid "red" coat in summer with grey/brown coat in winter, always with a prominent white patch on the rear shaped like a kidney
• Does have a tuft of hair on their rear that males never have – an important way to distinguish between them
• Usually seen in small numbers, with mature bucks keeping to their territories and does and their young sticking together
• Roe does regularly give birth to twins, a rarity in most other UK deer species

Our non-native deer

Fallow deer

• Our second largest species, with bucks reaching over 70kg
• Males are bucks, females are does, young are fawns
• Imported to the UK at various points throughout history as an ornamental deer (picture a herd of deer in front of a stately home and you'll probably be picturing fallow deer)
• Our most varied deer in terms of coat, with four different colours commonly found: common (chestnut with spots), menil (a paler version of common), melanistic (black) and leucistic (white)
• Bucks are easy to identify by their antlers which grow broad and flatten out into flat paddles, called palmation
• All fallow have long tails, usually with a thick stripe down the middle – a key way to ID fallow deer
• A herding species, with herds well into the hundreds of deer being recorded
• The females are easy to confuse with female sika deer – use the thick stripe on the tail and around the rump, and the clear divide between the top and bottom half of the coat as a guide (fallow have an obvious separation between the reddish upper coat and whiter underparts, sika tend to fade more gradually)

Sika deer

• Our third largest deer, with males reaching around 70kg
• Imported from Japan where they are native
• Males are stags, females are hinds, young are calves
• Very closely related to red deer, causing issues with hybridisation where they co-exist
• Males grow tall and narrow antlers, usually with four points per side in mature animals
• Note the brow tine – in sika it tends to be at an upwards angle to the main beam, whereas in other deer it tends to be at 90 degrees or more away from the beam
• Obvious ID signs include the grey "frown" markings on the forehead (making them look particularly grumpy!), the white metatarsal gland on the rear leg and the thin stripe down the tail
• During the rut, stags make a whistling scream that's very unique (and likely to send chills down your spine if you aren't expecting to hear it!)

Muntjac

• One of our two smallest species, averaging around 18kg
• Males are bucks, females are does, young are fawns
• Imported from Asia and escaped into the wild during the 30s/40s
• Prolific breeders with no defined breeding period, so are capable of rapid expansion in an area
• An unusual looking deer, with short neck, squat body and alien looking face
• Males have short antlers, usually curved with one main beam/point and a short brow point
• Both sexes carry sharp canine "tusks" which grow larger in the males and are used for fighting
• Found throughout southern, central and eastern England with increasing sightings in northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland
• Currently the only UK deer to be classed as an invasive alien species, making it highly illegal to keep, breed or release them into the wild
• Despite this, they remain my personal favourite species of deer!

Chinese water deer

• The last of our small deer species, imported from China and escaping from zoos and collections to establish in the wild
• The only UK species to never grow antlers, instead growing large canine teeth that are significantly larger and more obvious in males
• Easy to ID by their sandy coats, large round "teddy bear" ears, large tusks and back legs longer than their front legs
• The least widespread of our deer species and only found in pockets in central and eastern England