The mighty red deer of East Anglia
On an October evening, as dusk is settling over the countryside, I can open the window of my east Suffolk farmhouse and hear the red deer roar. It is a thrilling, spine-tingling sound, caught on the autumn breeze as the big stags challenge for the privilege of covering the hinds and taking forward the red deer population of East Anglia.
They are mighty beasts, indeed. When I once shot an 18½ stone (117kg) stag in the Highlands, I well remember how impressed the stalker was with its bodyweight. I also remember in painful detail the drag back to the nearest point to which he could get a vehicle.
Compared with our East Anglian woodland deer, however, that Scottish stag was a mere stripling. In these parts, weights above 200kg are not unknown, along with magnificent heads of 20 points or more.
But where do these deer come from? Red deer were present in the
