Chasing shadows as darkness descends

The leaves on the tree above me were partly obscuring the field of view between me and the buck, and I couldn’t get a clean shot. One of the does stopped and looked around, then suddenly took off towards the far side of the field. The buck turned tail and followed suit.

The fallow deer population across the estate seems to have expanded significantly in recent years, a combination of fewer deer being shot and a couple of big herds seeming to move in. Deer control is therefore an ongoing and ever-present task. Without it, the populations really can grow rapidly. Every year, we try to ensure that numbers are monitored and controlled, and that selective culling happens to make sure that the weaker animals are taken out.

Since being given a new