Distribution of sika

[Neal 1,866]

I live in an area of East Hampshire called The Forest Of Bere, sandwiched between Portsmouth and the South Downs. We have a thriving population of roe (you'd have to walk around with your eyes closed not to see them almost daily) and I've also seen a couple of muntjac during my local walks in the last couple of years. The only time I ever see fallow is when I walk farther east (to the east of Rowland's Castle) apart from a single buck I saw this year a little to the west of that.

While walking my kelpie this morning, I noticed him pause, look over to his left, then back at me. Sure enough a roe doe (I initially assumed) emerged from where it was resting in a bank of bracken some fifty or so yards away and I then noticed an accompanying  buck  a little way behind her. It was difficult to gauge size because of the height of the bracken, but the first thing I noticed (this was without binoculars incidentally) was that the bucks antlers were the longest I'd ever seen on a roe. When they reached the edge of the bracken, and before disappearing through some gorse, they turned to face me and I was instantly struck by the shape of the antlers. Rather than the fairly straight set (almost a V shape) that I'd been expecting, they were wide set in a pronounced U shape. They reminded me of red deer but not as thick or branched, and definitely not as palmate as fallow. As they both turned their backs to me to trot through the gap in the gorse I also noticed the tail. It was definitely not the white tail-less rump of a roe, but more like a black arrow head bordered by white. Obviously, at that distance and without binoculars it's difficult to say, but I'd say the tail was smaller than a fallow. 

The only thing I could think of was a sika. Sure enough, when I returned home and looked in my old, battered "Field Guide To British Deer" by F J Taylor, the sika was the one which seemed to fit it the most. Could I be right or could it just be a roe with unusual antlers as I know they can vary greatly. If it wasn't for the tail I'd be tempted by this last idea, but they both had a clearly visible dark tail. Any thoughts? 

Edited November 15 by Neal

[forest of dean redneck 11,588]

Your be overrun with them , was watching nearly 20 this afternoon including an albino hind but to far away to get a pic on my phone unfortunately . 

[Neal 1,866]

I'm always amazed at how other people just don't seem to notice deer. There are numerous occasions when I've watched people walking along a country lane within yards of a roe and they've not seen it. There are two blokes who regularly take their remote control cars to the centre of my local wood and I've seen the deer walking behind them on the other side of the stream and these two blokes had no idea they were there. I suppose having a dog that says "there's a deer over there" helps.

[forest of dean redneck 11,588]

4 hours ago, Neal said:

I'm always amazed at how other people just don't seem to notice deer. There are numerous occasions when I've watched people walking along a country lane within yards of a roe and they've not seen it. There are two blokes who regularly take their remote control cars to the centre of my local wood and I've seen the deer walking behind them on the other side of the stream and these two blokes had no idea they were there. I suppose having a dog that says "there's a deer over there" helps.

I think it helps if your a hunter tbh , your senses are attuned to the movement of the animals in your vicinity