We are already a quarter of the way through 2023 and the roebuck season is upon us. Daylight hours have been lengthening rapidly and there is, at last, some warmth in the rising sun. There’s a feel-good factor in the air and, as I stalk at first light, the birdsong is breathtaking. The distinctive scents carried on the heavy morning air from willow and gorse make my senses tingle; it is a time of new life and regeneration.
Deer must feel this too. They browse for longer periods on the tender shoots and buds as they work to gain condition after the harder winter months. It has been a mild winter but we seem to be paying the price for this now with one of the coldest springs on record.
