The Essex Naturalist
95
Forest site, there were three access points studied. Each point was examined
three times, giving a total of nine occasions when fresh slots might have been
found. On seven of these occasions slots were found, resulting in the proportion
7/9. Column 4 gives the number of access points at which fresh slots were found
on all three of the occasions that the site was examined. The result for the
Lower Forest site, for example, shows that two of the three access points there
were used on every occasion it was examined.
These results show conclusively that (at the sites where deer slots were found)
a number of deer moved between the wood and the field on a regular basis, often
using the same access point.
Table 3: access points used regularly by deer
Watches were incorporated within the fieldwork so that places designated as
access points (and therefore very likely to have deer crossing there) were
watched at dusk, until it became to dark to see them (1/2 hour before dusk, and
1/2 hour afterwards). In the case of Oxleys Wood where the access points were
on opposite sides of the wood, only those two visible from Three Forests Way
were observed.
If the behavioural hypothesis is correct, then the deer should emerge from
the woodland and move to the fields to feed. Where possible the observations
were made from a car to reduce scent problems. Where this was not possible it
was necessary to approach the access points with care and downwind, but it is
likely that the deer were alerted to human presence anyway. Each access point
was observed three times.
In Table 4 in the case of Epping Thicks and the Warren Wood I believe that
the deer detected my presence and moved away from their habitual area before I
could get into place. Indeed, several times I either heard or observed them move
off as I attempted to penetrate to a suitable observation spot. The successful
observation at St. Thomas' Quarters was because I arrived long before dusk and
so was already in position to observe before the deer had made their way to that
section of the wood.