← Fish and Game
23 September 2026 42:03
Avian Sandercock Avian Sandercock Jake Woolf Jake Woolf Sam Turner Sam Turner

Deer, Deer Everywhere

What exactly counts as a British deer?

Is it a red stag on a whisky bottle, a muntjac standing beside the A11, or a Chinese water deer that appears to have grown a pair of fangs?

Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner take a look at the six species of deer living wild in Britain, with Sam bringing some first-hand experience from farming red deer.

They work through red, roe, fallow, sika, muntjac and Chinese water deer, including where they came from, where you are likely to find them and the surprisingly complicated business of what to call males, females and young.

Then the conversation turns to deer management. Why have numbers and ranges increased so much? What happens when neighbouring landowners take completely different approaches? And how do forestry, farming, road collisions and sporting management all fit together?

Sam explains how management works on deer farms and in the Highlands, while the three discuss the differences between managing deer for sport, controlling numbers and producing healthy animals for the food chain.

There is also the curious economics of venison, why wild deer can sometimes be worth surprisingly little at carcass level, some very straightforward ideas for cooking it, and a final test of whether Jake and Sam can tell the difference between a deer term and a medieval insult.

In this episode:

  • The six species of wild deer found in Britain
  • Red and roe deer, our two native species
  • Fallow, sika, muntjac and Chinese water deer
  • Roe deer and delayed implantation
  • Why muntjac seem to be everywhere
  • Stags, bucks, hinds, does, calves, kids and fawns
  • Why deer numbers and ranges have increased
  • Deer damage to woodland, crops and new planting
  • Deer and road traffic collisions
  • Highland versus lowland deer management
  • The importance of managing females as well as males
  • Farmed deer and wild deer
  • The changing market for British venison
  • Simple ways to cook venison
  • Deer terms or medieval insults

Useful links:

Please note: Deer seasons, legislation and management requirements vary across the UK and can change. Always check current guidance for the species and location concerned before carrying out deer management.

Part of the SideCountry Network.