16
SOME THOUGHTS ON DEER DISTRIBUTION IN ESSEX
In 1977 The Essex Field Club published "Deer
in Essex" containing the results of a very
detailed study of the distribution of deer
in the county. It received acclaim at the
time, and I am not aware of any other county
survey which even comes close to matching it.
We are, therefore, very fortunate to have such
a baseline from which to work in the future.
What has happened since 1977?
Fallow
Fallow were undoubtedly the most widespread
of the deer found in Essex and covered
most of the county to the north of the A.12
and the nearby railway running from London
through Brentwood and Chelmsford to Colchester.
That road and railway seemed to form a barrier
to the deer then and that still appears to
be the case today. I have no confirmed
records of any sizeable populations south of
that line. There are reports of occasional
animals in the Thorndon and Warley areas,
where the habitat would seem ideal, but not
the numbers which occur to the north.
There are indications that fallow are moving
back into Epping Forest in small numbers, but
public usage is likely to be a limiting factor
there.
There is certainly no cause for concern about
fallow deer at the moment, but they are the
main target of a growing number of stalkers
and this disturbance could result in them