Do muntjac numbers affect the roe deer population?

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Roe and muntjac do not compete directly for food and on the whole seem to co-exist pretty well.

By George Wallace

Thursday, 13 December 2007

Will roe numbers in my area ever increase with so many muntjac around? Few stalkers around here bother with them and only shoot them for the pot. Why don't the two species mix - or is there more to this one than meets the eye?

Stalking
GEORGE WALLACE says:
Please send me some of your spare munties, there are no deer of any kind in my immediate vicinity!

However, joking aside, there are concerns expressed about the activities of muntjac from several points of view.

When numbers are high they can do considerable damage to native wildflowers, such as bluebells and orchids, and destroy valuable butterfly habitat. They can cause road traffic accidents and they may prevent the regeneration of coppiced woodland and the growth of newly-planted trees.

They may also damage orchards and other agricultural and horticultural crops. Most deer are guilty of such crimes to some extent, but muntjac are damn foreigners, don't ye know, so we are much less tolerant of them!

Roe and muntjac do not compete directly for food and on the whole seem to co-exist pretty well.

However there is some indication from research in the east of England by Norma Chapman et al, published in the Journal of Zoology, that high numbers of muntjac seem to affect the roe population.

So if you prefer roe, the more muntjac you shoot the better. The carcases of muntjac are not worth much, though dealers will take them, but for home consumption the meat is delicious.