Johnny
Kingdom's Exmoor
Share Johnny's passion for Exmoor's red deer,
wildlife and landscape www.johnnykingdom.co.uk
Wildlife in the Wood
Exhibition of life-sized wood sculptures at Piles
Mill Allerford Porlock www.wildlifeinwood.co.uk
Exmoor's Red Deer
Red Deer
can be easly found when you know where to look.
We suggest you take an Exmoor wildlife safari
in a 4 wheel drive landover. Exmoor Safaris take
you to inaccessible places on ancient by ways....
completly off the beaten track. Exmoor wildlife
safaris with take you to into the heart of the
moor. You will visit places of great beauty undiscovered
by the vast majority of visitors. Local people
run these tours they understand deer movements.
They know exactly where and when the different
herds and individual deer can be found. These
tours are enjoyed by all and very informative
on the area's history, wildlife, fungi, flora
and forna.
The Red Deer
of Exmoor are truly
magnificent animals and are loved by nearly all
who live on Exmoor.
The red deer are the largest indigenous wild mammal
in the British Isles and are found in practically
the whole area of the Exmoor National Park and
in the countryside just outside its boundaries.They
are also found to a lesser extent on the Quantocks.
To see a big Stag in the Autumn with a full head
of antlers called "Brow -Bay-Trey-Three a
'top " is one of life's real treats, it has
the Wow' factor. To hear a Red Star roar in the
Rut makes hairs stand up on the back of the neck.
It is also exciting
is to see the large herds of hinds when they gather
on the open moor together at different times of
the year.
The best time to find and see the red deer is
at dawn or dusk in the various moorland locations
they inhabit at this time of day. Often the deer
graze on private farmland which is not always
accessible to the general public or they are in
woodland and difficult to see unless you know
exactly where to look.
Like it or loath - it is a fact - the Devon &
Somerset Staghounds at Exford have understood,
protected and managed the welfare of the red deer
within Exmoor National Park for approximately
the last 300 years. They also deal immediately
with road casualties and sick animals. For example
- by taking just a few hounds they can separate
a sick animal off from the main herd to quickly
and humanely despatch it with a gun. Hunting also
moves individual deer around which prevents inbreeding.
Currently in 2008 Exmoor has a very good healthy
herd of approximately 3,000 animals. Without the
protection and management of the stag hounds or
somebody , it is feared the deer will be poached
and shot by landowners because they can cause
serious damage to farmland and woodland.
Exmoor Beast...
Fact or Fiction?
Exmoor National
Park has 6 different packs of hounds on the moor,
the riders and hounds cover every square inch
of Exmoor, often being videoed and photographed
by hunt members and people not keen on trail hunting.
A multitude of car followers constantly scan the
landscape with binoculars...often with cameras
to hand. So this writers conclusions is... the
Exmoor beast would have been seen and photographed
many many times by now. Yet to the best of local
knowledge, not one single trail hunting person
has even glimpsed the Exmoor Beasts disappearing
tail... Yet extensive damage was done to farm
animals several years ago, possible by an escaped
big cat from a wildlife park now ... hopefully
long gone or a dog. Early In 2007 reports came
in that the Exmoor Beast had been seen crossing
the Timberscombe to Heathpoult road..... this
writer remains unconvinced.
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