http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/north_yorkshire/4161691.stm

After reading this story on the BBC website, I am amazed at just how dangerous deer can be. Has anyone here ever encountered problems with deer while stalking ?

Farmer was gored to death by stag

A deer owner gored to death by a stag had entered the animal's compound during the rutting season, a North Yorkshire coroner was told.

Michael Oakley said Clifford Colling's death last October should serve as a warning to other deer farmers.

Mr Colling, 73, was butted and fatally injured as he tended his herd at Moor Farm in Humanby Gap, near Filey.

Mr Oakley recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Tending animals

The inquest at Pickering was told Mr Colling's son, Christopher, and farmhand Peter Harrison, went to look for him when he failed to return home.

They eventually entered the deer compound on foot but one of the stags, known as Oliver, charged the pair.

Red deer
The herd of deer were in an enclosure for the rutting season
Mr Harrison was knocked to the ground and suffered cuts and bruising.

The two men escaped when the stag charged a telegraph pole and dazed itself.

They later returned in a vehicle and found Mr Colling's body lying close to a fence. He had suffered multiple injuries, mainly to his chest.

Mr Oakley warned stag owners they should not enter the compounds during the rutting season.

The stag which attacked Mr Colling was later destroyed.

I had a friend who was almost killed by a whitetail in an enclusre like this. THe only thing that saved him was his well above average strength and fitness. Even given his physocal statue, he was injured enough to spend quite soem time in the hospital. THe deer was fine most of the year, but this happened during th erut. I have other friends who rais whitetails and they all have stories of minor injuries. Ocassionally a whitetail will kill some one in the US, but it is usually an older person

A friend was charged by a Fallow buck last season from about 75yds away. The 243 at ten paces put an end to that particular fella's aspirations of fun....

FB

Well

A friend of my family got attacked by a red stag in Hungary, spent 10 days in hospital for fractures.

Time to get a proper rifle for dangerous deer's?

People have supposedly been killed by hand reared roe bucks in the past when the bucks have suddenly developed a bad attitude durring the rut. Being hand reared, they had no fear of humans and a roes antlers can act like rapiers.

In the wild, the "dangerous" period is again usually during the rut, but in reality the risks are pretty small. I have heard of stalkers being charged by Fallow and Sika and I assume a red stag might do it as well...

Regards,

Peter

People always forget that pets, treat us like one of their own. They have no fear because we are in their "herd", so being such, you are going to be treated just like the rest of the herd. It's all about pecking order. Whether it is a dog, cat, horse, milk cow or tame deer, they live by their code and you will too.

A wild deer has a different view. To them, we are just another predator to get away from.

Only YOU think of yourself as a human, no animal, tame or wild thinks that way.

Don't forget it!

Ann

You are 100% right.

Stags in deer farms should never be hand reared and should be encouraged to keep their distance. Once they loose their fear of man, when they go into the rut and hard antler they will be aggressive towards humans and need to be re-taught respect.

When feeding my stags in the rut I carry a pitch-fork and sometimes hold it backwards so if they approach behind there is a barrier. Also it doesn't hurt to give them a jab so they know my antlers are sharp and long.

Only ever had two minor incidents though and both times forced the stags to run off in fear by shouting and throwing a big stick at them and charging them. I didn't have a fork that time. Not sure what I would do if they called my bluff.

Red deer are much larger though.

Does/females can make nice hand reared pets and are probably tasty later too.

Lynn D as i live just 3 miles from where that farmer was killed, the stag in question was not normally bad tempered, it was one of the other stags that was normally aggressive, but he did enter the pen in middle of the rut,
the stag that caused the fatal injury was shot by the police, they 4 rounds into the stag and it still did not drop the beast,

Question:

Rutting season for most species of deer in the UK is end of August through till ? Such as Stag starting the end of August and Roe the end of October ?

I am interested as I will be travelling to the UK and plan to hunt deer in a different manner, as in photography....

Lynn

Lynn,

With all species of deer the rut can be a bit variable and depends on a number of things from photo period, weather to how heathly/well fed the females are and location

Having said that, roughly speaking Roe generally rut end of July early August, Red, Sika Fallow end of September through to end of October, while Muntjac can and do rut any time...

For more detailed info try: http://www.deer-uk.com or http://www.bdg.org.uk

Regards,

Pete

Pete E,

Thanks for the information, I will follow the link and read further.

Lynn

quote:

---

Originally posted by chapster1:
Lynn D as i live just 3 miles from where that farmer was killed, the stag in question was not normally bad tempered, it was one of the other stags that was normally aggressive, but he did enter the pen in middle of the rut,
the stag that caused the fatal injury was shot by the police, they 4 rounds into the stag and it still did not drop the beast,

---

Why did they kill the stag? It's not like its a serial killing stag! At least I hope they made use of it but it sounds like it was wasted.

I am not amazed at all. I know a couple of persons killed by penned stags, especially during the rut. What would be stunning will be non aggressive penned stags.
A friend of mine had a roe doe in his garden’s enclosure. A real fury charging and kicking with her front legs. Nobody could enter the enclosure. In Nancy Zoo there is a roe enclosure.
The people in charge told me they are the worst customers, above stags, fallows, bears, boars and such…
I was asked to trap foxes in a stag enclosure. The owner came along totting a shotgun to keep off (or shoot if need be) the 3 small young stags living there.
Evidently, no need to shoot a killer-stag.

Nitro they killed it because they said it was going to be a danger to the public behind a 12ft fence, and so the police decided that it should be shot. the police are a compleat joke

i have worked with penned red deer at various times, and i also stalk them regularly(not the ones in the pen!) during the rut, if a stag can see or smell another stag, even a good distance away and in another enclosure, it will drive them crazy. i shot two wild stags last year which had travelled at least three miles when they picked up the scent of a pen full of hinds.
the stag who had been left with the hinds was going crazy trying to get at the two wild stags outside the pen!
wild deer attacking is rare, but it does happen. penned deer are much more dangerous, and should only be fed/approached with a vehicle
during the rut. i would never go in a pen alone either, without someone at least outside the pen.i saw a guy get bones in has hand broken when a red stag crushed his hand in the door of a land rover, when he had just made it inside.
deer should always be treated with a healthy respect!