Deer Hunting: No Longer What It was

~ beetleypete

Long-term readers of this blog might remember that one of Ollie’s favourite activities was to chase Deer. Over the years, he has managed to chase the three main varieties found around Beetley; Roe, White-Tailed, and Muntjac.

Of course, he never managed to catch one, and rarely even got close. Their ability to jump outclassed him, often leaving him confounded by wire fences or wooden gates. Besides, I would have called him back if he had got too close, as I would never want him to hurt one.

Over the past year, my old dog has slowed down considerably. On some occasions when we have spotted deer as close as 60 feet away, he has not even bothered to run after them. But in the close confines of the woodland area on Beetley Meadows, there are numerous Muntjacs to be found. Often not much larger than Ollie, they tend to run short distances, then go to ground in Brambles or Holly. The sharp spikes don’t seem to bother them, but Ollie knows better than to hurt himself by following them in.

We are just back from today’s walk, and in the woodland area, Ollie flushed out three of them. The two larger ones headed east, and a smaller one ran north, passing a few feet in front of us. Ollie watched them go, and made no attempt to chase any of them.

So, Deer hunting is no longer on the agenda for my old friend, it would seem.

He has realised his limitations.

60 thoughts on “Deer Hunting: No Longer What It was”

    1. I try to keep him interested in the wildlife, even though he no longer chases anything. I point it out to him, and he looks at me and wags his tail. I like to think he is remembering, but it makes me so sad to see him knowing he can no longer run like he used to.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. His arthritis has slowed him down, Jill. After a lot of running around, he can hardly walk home. So he doesn’t run as much as he did, and that allows him to enjoy his walks.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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          1. Here in our town, there is also a free cremation for our pets. There is a facility for the aged too without family to take care of them. And recently, they put up a sort of dormitory for those people on the streets at night, they can stay overnight, take a bath and have breakfast too all for free. But that is only for one night though.
            Yes, they are older than us in dog years.

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    1. Ollie has never bothered with frogs or toads. He just sniffs them, and walks away.
      When he was young he would try to dig out moles, but soon abandoned that when he didn’t catch one.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. In the Victorian era, they were brought from SE Asia by the then Duke of Bedford, as a ‘decorative species’ for his large estate. So many escaped, they are now common in the southern half of England. This is from the Internet.

      ‘Muntjacs are not a native species to Britain. They originate from China but were introduced to Woburn Park in Bedfordshire in 1838. After escapes and deliberate movement of the deer by humans they have now spread over southern England and are increasing in number’.

      Best wishes, Pete

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  17. We get all the British police, ambulance & helicopter programmes in NZ – which I mostly love (mainly for the scenery). Last night there was one from Kent Police warning people about organised hunting of bunnies (hares). I thought it a spoof at first but the copper was serious.
    Rabbits are a big problem here and get poisoned. Deer (outside farms) are above the timber line. Ollie, I can arrange a few million sheep for you no trouble, but you have to take them the way Pate tells you.

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    1. Rabbit hunting at night is called ‘Lamping’, and is very common where we live. Hare hunting is called ‘Coursing’, and is usually for gambling on the dogs used to chase the hares. Hare Coursing has been illegal since 2004 because of cruelty, but still goes on. It is popular with gypsies. Lamping is not illegal, but requires a firearms licence and permission of the landowner. Most ‘lampers’ do not have either.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  19. Our old Staffie, Pickle (she didn’t quite make it to 16…) used to chase squirrels in the forest. She went deaf in her later years, but her eyesight was fine. Nevertheless, when squirrels came into view in that last couple of years, I’ll swear she looked the other way (Squirrels? What squirrels?)

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  21. In Austin we had deer on the greenbelt behind out house, and a 4 foot fence (later modified). Our young Irish would start running ten feet back, clear the fence and attempt to herd the deer, running circles them. They’d ignore her, eat hay or deer corn a neighbor would leave out. She’d wear herself out, I’d go open the gat and let her in. She had not interest in catching them. Squirrels and rabbits? It must be genetic because every setter I’ve owned over 40 years has squirrel and bunny radar engaged until they’re on death’s doorstep. Good for Ollie, though. He’s reached the point of intra species peace as opposed to sport.

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    1. Ollie also chased squirrels and rabbits. (Given up on those now) He once caught and badly injured a wild rabbit. I took it off him and it crawled away, but I knew it would die later. He has no ‘herding instinct’, though, and would hurt a deer if I let him.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  23. Based on a lifetime of experience, Ollie has learned that he can’t catch a deer. We used to have an Old English Sheepdog (born in 1970). He learned that he couldn’t outswim a duck in the pond, that he couldn’t outrun a cat, that it was inadvisable to approach a horse in the field, and that cows were best left alone. He also learned to look both ways before crossing a country road, and that m-i-l-k spelled his favorite drink.

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