Red Stag Safari

11/02/2025

Looking for inspiration for activities to do over February half-term next week? Our latest blog post has some local highlights around Exmoor, including Snowdrop Valley, and a talk about the Red Deer of Exmoor with Andrew from Red Stag Safaris, hosted here at Triscombe on Tuesday 18th Feb from 6pm-8pm. More information is available below 🌱
https://triscombefarm.co.uk/2025/02/08/februaryhalfterm/

31/01/2025

Snowdrops in the morning dew. Taken a few days ago in snowdrop Valley on Exmoor. The valley is now open and it is well worth taking this once a year opportunity to see the stunning flowers in full bloom. www.wheddoncross.org.uk

11/01/2025

Winsford Hill, Dunkery Hill Gate, Dunkery, Bale Water and Prayway Head all in recent snow.

09/01/2025

Sunrise this morning on Dunkery.

06/01/2025

The national Trust, vegans, vegies, animal rights activists, anti hunters along with the woke and politically correct who worked to ban hunting on NT land should all have a long hard look at this image of a very sick animal on the NT Holnicote estate because this is the state of many deer now. This deer probably has bTB as many on the estate have been affected by the disease. It is highly likely to have other diseases and parasites as well. It will certainly die a very slow death. When populations become too numerous and too intensive they become more vulnerable to many diseases and parasites. This applies to most animals including deer and badgers. Without natural predators anymore in this country numbers will get too large if man does not cull them. The NT did not cull badgers on its land while others in the area did and I am sure this has contributed towards the level of disease. The NT have form on this as there was a herd of Fallow deer at Dyrham Park which had been there for about 300 years but the whole lot had to be killed recently due to bTB. There are other places on Exmoor where hunting was banned and these areas also became bTB hotspots and many deer died from the disease and parasites like lungworm . Hunting disturbs the deer causing then to disperse and spread out over a larger area, with out it they tend to be more localised which increases the risk of disease and parasites. I took the above photo last year and I have images of other deer in poor condition as well. As an Exmoor man who has grown up on the edge of the estate I have witnessed first hand the harm caused by the urban managers of the organisation. A recent article in a local paper highlighted the NT allegedly culling up to 400 deer and then refusing to answer questions put to them about it. That prompted me to post this. It would be very interesting to know the number of sick animals killed and what diseases and parasites they were suffering from. A organisation with charitable status should not be able to hide and avoid accountability in this way, it is disgraceful. I have been a member for around 30 years but I dont know why I still bother. They are trying to cover up the consequences of their own actions and incompetence. Years ago there was a pheasant shoot on the estate run but local people, there was proper management and predator control and enough grouse on Dunkery to allow 2 days grouse shooting. The shoot is no longer there and neither are the grouse. When the estate was hunted there were a sensible number of deer and a healthy herd with many good quality stags. Now there is no hunting, many sick deer and deer in poor condition and few quality prime stags. With the hunting method I think about 50% of deer probably escape and these are unharmed. They may be tired but they seem to recover and live to fight another day. The weaker are more likely to be culled out which is what would happen in the wild in a heathy eco system where wolves would cull out the weak deer as they were the easiest to catch leading to survival of the fittest. This means the strongest survive and breed maintaining the strenth of the heard. This is helped by the use of local men called harbourers who monitor the deer in their patch and select the deer for culling. Priority is always given to injured or sick animals or those wounded by cars or with bullet wounds. Then it is the less good quality animals or those with genetic deformities like knott stags ( those that dont grow antlers ) or the old ones that wont get through the winter or stags that have been going back to the same herd of hinds for a few years and there is a risk of inbreeding. This way of managing the deer has existed for generations on Exmoor and resulted in the best quality truly wild deer herds in England. Any hunted deer that cant out run hounds stands at bay as they did with wolves. The hounds are trained not to attack and will stand back and bay the deer ( bark at it ) then a marksman can get very close , usually around 20 to 30 feet to shoot it. This allows a clean kill with no injuries.
In my view the best quality deer on Exmoor are found in the hunted areas and that is not a coincidence. If the existing law is changed and hunting completely stops I fear for the deer on Exmoor. I think numbers will plumet as land owners and farmers become less willing to tolerate the loss of grass and damage caused by them. Shooting, both legitimate and poaching will increase dramatically and every time a herd moves onto a different ownership then another lot of shooters will have a go at it. The first deer to disappear will be the magnificent prime stags who will be shot due to their value as trophies and for the meat. the young healthy animals will then go as the venison is better eating while the old, injured, deformed and sick will be left to breed as they have no value. Kill a sick animal and you have to pay for it to be disposed of so where is the incentive. The reason that hunting has worked is because it is management by one organisation not operating for profit. I think with in a few years of a ban any deer that are left will become more park like in isolated herds.
Basically what I am saying is we need people who have grown up on the land and worked it with experience is livestock, farming, vermin control and country pursuits managing the land not those from the towns and cities.

26/12/2024

Walking over the moor in the peak of the last rut in the early hours before the sun was up and in thick fog visibility was about 20 foot using a small torch. All I could see was molinia grass all around but if you know an area well you can navigate using certain features like deer tracks and slight changes in the landscape. It is risky for those not familiar with the moor as one wrong step could put you in a bog. That morning was unusual as there was no wind and it was very still. I was enjoying the tranquillity when all of a sudden there came a great roar from behind me. The depth of tone was deep so I knew it was a big stag and he sounded angry and I could tell he was close, with in 100yards even though I couldnt see him. There was no doubt he was roaring at me so I made haste and got out of his way as fast as I could . Luckily he didnt charge me as there was no where for me to go and I would have been in a lot of trouble. I rarely feel bothered when in remote parts of Exmoor even in the dark but that day I admit I was frit. I eventually got to where I wanted to be and sat down and waited for the sun to come up. I could hear several stags all around me but there was one roaring louder than all the others although he was the wrong side of the hill for me to see. I waited for a long time but nothing came my way so started walking back to my car when 3 hinds came into view. I hunkered down and sure enough the big lad came over the brow after them right in front of me which is when I got these images. I am sure it was the one I had encountered earlier. Only had a few seconds before they were all gone again. Proper wild Exmoor deer in their natural environment and not on ground where they are fed.

22/12/2024

A big old stag from last rut. Spent many hours listening to him roaring but not able to get close until one day I got lucky and he came over the brow of the hill and gave an almighty roar in the direction of other stags. I only had a few seconds before he was onto me due to noisy shutter on camera and then he was gone. Lovely bit of morning light in the golden hour. Palmated horn on the crown one side indicating an old stag going back. He probably had some points on his right but they dot broke in a fight. If you look closely there are signs of breakage. He had a lot of damage around his eyes where the skin was torn again likely to be from fighting. A very aggressive stag that you wouldnt want to meet out in the open.

21/12/2024

One rather snooty looking stag and several jumping stags from the last rut.

21/12/2024

Lots of deer photos about in the rut and taking photos of the stags in particular gets more popular every year. Many go to the parks where there are large stags which have no fear of people so you can get great images close up. Much harder to get close to the real wild deer as they are easily spooked. There are places these days though on the edges of Exmoor near towns especially where deer have become used to people and more park like and it has been possible for people to walk right up to some of these deer in gardens and get good images. Even on very rural parts of Exmoor now there are places where the deer are fed to keep them in one place and these deer have also become used to people and easy to photograph. I think this is a shame personally as I would like to see all the Exmoor deer remain ' proper wild'. I would also like to think those posting images would tell the viewer whether the deer were wild, park deer or on a farm where they are fed but not all do so. If they dont then it is a bit deceptive like the famous case of the photo of a mouse in an apple that won a well known calendar competition and turned out to have been taken in a workshop with a pet mouse. This kind of thing gives a false impression of wildlife and the countryside to the viewing public which then presents many issues for those that live and work in rural England. All the images I post are of real wild deer in there natural environment which are not fed. Before I took this image I had been lied up for a long time when this young hind wondered past. As I was hidden she didnt know quite what to make of it and just walked quietly away. Always best to not reveal place names when posting wild deer images to prevent too much disturbance.

06/12/2024

Generally the weather this last rut was not great but on this occasion the sun came out behind the deer when it was still raining which gave quite a good effect to the images as the rain drops were lit up. Watched this lot for about half an hour hidden away without disturbing them till a car pulled up and a couple of guys got out in full cammo gear, you couldnt even see their faces, they looked over the hedge and then the deer all took off. Always makes me laugh when people think they are invisible because they are wearing camo. I was a bit annoyed but this type of thing happens all the time in the rut when the no norts arrive.

21/11/2024

One for those who didnt get a chance to hear the Exmoor stags in the rut this year. Filmed early one morning in the peak of the rut. Not the biggest stag but a vocal one and you can hear others in the background. First part has no moving image as I couldnt hold the camera still and there was too much shaking. The twang which sounds a bit like a guitar string is when I got caught on the wire. About 30 - 40 yards away and he never realised I was there.

30/10/2024

Came across 2 of these Fox moth caterpillars on the moor today. About 60-70 cm long. The male moth is a fox colour hence the name and has feathered antennae and is quite large although I dont recollect having seen one. Caterpillars eat many plants including bramble, heather ( as this one was ) and whortleberry.

13/10/2024

Fly Agaric on Exmoor last week. Supposed to be poisonous but some claim they can be eaten if properly prepared but I wouldnt want to try it. Also have hallucinogenic properties. Guess that means you have a nice trip to the undertakers. Were used to catch flys in the old days hence the name. Although quite common I have not seen many on Exmoor over the years so was very pleased to discover these recently. Was passing the spot a few days later and noticed all the tops had been cut off and passed a bunch of people with foraging baskets full up with them. They had taken the lot. Sad but that is the nature of too many people today. I thought it was a shame that they couldnt just leave them alone.

05/10/2024

The mist rising out of the Barle Valley a few days back. I cussed the local dog walker who suddenly appeared but on reflection I think it in adds to the image.

26/08/2024

Rosebay Willowherb. A lot about on Exmoor. Also known as Fireweed and bombweed due to the fact it is quick to establish itself after a fire or bombing. Has been used for many medical purposes in the past from treating digestive problems including diarrhoea to healing wounds and treating infections. An infusion of the leaves has been claimed to stupefy a person, think I will give it a miss as I feel stupefied most of the time anyway.

16/08/2024

Bell heather, Ling and Cross leaved heath. These are the three types of heather you can find on exmoor. All images taken today. The flowering is now at its peak and the scent can be quite strong. There used to be a lot of bee hives brought to Exmoor at this time of year so the bees could make heather honey but not seen many this year. Heather honey is darker than the usual honey and has a stronger flavour. In the hive it is a brown colour not gold like normal honey. White heather is supposed to be lucky but it is quite rare in the wild, I have only seen it once on the moor.

10/08/2024

While I was watching these lads today two of them decided to stand up and have a bit of a boxing match. Certainly no gender issues here though. When in velvet the bone antler is covered in a skin which contains blood vessels and nerves so to use the antlers for fighting would damage them and be painful so the stags are very protective of them. They will not use them to fight with until the velvet has died off and then there is no sensitivity. Hinds will box on a regular basis but the stags only usually do it in the summer months when the antler is in velvet and growing.

10/08/2024