Fallow deer are the most common type of deer in the New Forest. They are about 1m tall and have a distinctive black and white horseshoe shaped marking on their rump. Their coat changes with the seasons. In the summer it is a light chestnut colour with white spots but in winter they are greyish brown with no spots. Fallow deer can be recognised by their antlers which are shaped a bit like the palm of a hand!
Fallow deer are found in forest woodland as well as open glades and fields.
Buck grow new antlers before the rutting season. This is the time of year in autumn when the males fight for the right to mate. When the new antlers grow they are covered with ‘velvet’ and deer can often be seen rubbing up against bark to remove this before the rutting starts.
Herbivore: Deer eat huge quantities of leaves and grasses. They also like to nibble saplings and young trees.
In years gone by deer were managed by hunting and natural predators such as wolves. With these predators now gone and hunting now in decline the numbers of deer has continued to rise. Too many deer can cause lots of damage to the trees and forest plants and this has a negative impact on the species within the Forest. As a result the Forestry Commission now carries out a culling programme which aims to keep the deer levels to a sensible number. Without this culling food would become scarce and many grazing animals could face starvation. The deer are shot quickly and humanely.