Deer species · Native
Red deer
Cervus elaphus
Britain's largest land mammal, and one of only two truly native deer. In England they prefer woodland and forest, but adapt to open moor and hills.
Photo: Gareth James / Geograph.org.uk, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Shoulder
- 1.07–1.37 m
- Stags; hinds 1.00–1.22 m
- Weight
- 63–250 kg
- Stags 90–250 kg, hinds 63–120 kg
- Antlers
- Large, branched
- Stags only, cast Mar–May
- Rut
- Late Sep – Nov
- Roaring stags
- Calves born
- May – Jul
- Mid-May to July
- Open season
- Stags Aug–Apr
- Hinds 1 Nov – 31 Mar
How to recognise them
The largest deer in the country
A red stag stands well over a metre at the shoulder. Deer living on open uplands tend to be smaller than those in wooded lowland areas.
- A rusty-red coat in summer, turning brown in winter, and adults are never spotted
- A short tail and a pale rump patch with no particular markings
- A large head with wide-spaced eyes
- Stags carry highly branched antlers that gain points with age, the front point at about 90° to the main beam
- In woodland, often alone or as a hind with her calf; on open ground, in larger single-sex groups
Signs and sounds
How to tell red are about
Tracks
Large slots, with a stag's front hoof measuring 8–9 cm, big enough to be mistaken for sheep or goat prints.
Calls
Stags roar and grunt in the rut. Hinds bark when alarmed and moo when searching for their calves.
Damage
Browsing of tree shoots, especially in winter when other food is short, plus grazing of farm crops, and bark stripping on trees well beyond the sapling stage.
The red year
When to expect what
In the rut, stags compete for hinds by roaring, walking side by side to size each other up, and, if neither backs down, fighting. See the full deer calendar →
Protecting against red
What actually stops them
Where we see them
In the areas we cover
Less widespread across our area than roe or fallow. The British Deer Society records feral red deer across the north of England and the North Midlands, alongside herds kept in deer parks.
Other species
Not sure it's red?
Roe deer
One of only two truly native deer in Britain, and the one you're most likely to have on your land anywhere across Yorkshire and the North.
Muntjac
Small, secretive, and breeding all year round. Reeves' muntjac were brought from China to Woburn Park around the turn of the 20th century, and have been classed as an invasive species since 2019.
Fallow deer
Herd deer with broad, palmate antlers and a groaning autumn rut, long associated with parkland and larger estate woods.
Sika deer
Introduced from the Far East in 1860, sika are close relatives of red deer, known for bark stripping and an extraordinary range of calls.
Red causing damage on your land?
A free survey tells you how many there are, where they're coming from, and whether anything needs doing about it.
Or call Chris on 07397 942663. He'll call you back the same day.