In general, deer do not damage structures. They sometimes go through fences and windows and break them. Young males are most often associated with structural damage. Bed ranges vary depending on the season and location. Deer can sleep in forests, meadows and agricultural fields. On windy winter days, deer seek dense cover. In urban areas, deer can sleep along the foundations of houses to take advantage of the heat. There are four other British species of “exotic” deer, with the deer almost certainly brought to this country by the Normans, and three Asian species, Reeve`s Muntjac, Chinese Water Deer and Sika Deer, which escape or are intentionally released from deer pens and private collections. The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust does not consider deer as parasites, but as an important and often underexploited game resource. We encourage landowners to develop deer hunting and killing strategies to make the most of this resource and keep populations low enough to avoid forest regeneration and forest damage. The study was carried out in Słowiński National Park (SNP) and the two adjacent managed forest districts.

Słowiński National Park is a World Biosphere Reserve located on the Baltic coast. The total area of the park is 32,700 ha. Land, marine and freshwater lakes occupy 11,300 ha, 11,200 ha and 10,300 ha respectively (Figure 1). Thus, about 66% of the country is covered by fresh water or seawater. The freshwater area consists mainly of two lakes: Lake Łebsko (7,100 ha) and Lake Gardno (2,500 ha). In addition, 4,800 ha are covered by non-forested land, a significant proportion (1,900 ha) of which includes agricultural land such as mown grassland and, to a lesser extent, cultivated land. Other non-forest sites include reeds and swamps (partly with forest cover). In both types of sites, groundwater levels are high, which is why they are (largely) inaccessible. Therefore, these sites provide favourable safety coverage for red deer (Borkowski et al.

2019). There are various types of habitat in the immediate vicinity of the park, including woodlands, grasslands and arable land (Figure 1). Most of the forests outside the park are owned by the state, while the majority of agricultural land is privately owned. The roe deer is a wild animal of great economic value in Europe, provides large quantities of meat and brings millions of euros in sport hunting. In 1998, about 2,500,000 deer were slaughtered each year in Western Europe. [49] In Germany alone, 700,000 shots were fired each year in the 1990s. [31] This is not enough to slow population growth and deer numbers continue to rise. [49] Based on the results of this study, the high density of red deer may have a negative impact on the number and spatial distribution of deer. First, in the park, where deer density was high despite no hunting, deer density was lower than in hunted forest areas, where again red deer populations were remarkably lower.

In addition, in the park`s forests, deer density and spatial distribution were negatively influenced by red deer density, while in adjacent forest districts, the trend was not recorded. Although behavioural problems between species cannot be excluded, the main impact of red deer on the deer population in the park was likely due to pressure on vegetation. The red deer of the SNP has had a significant influence on plant availability, including the groups of plants that make up the basic component of deer food (Rubus spp., forbs). Our first prediction was that the distribution of red deer and roe deer would be more influenced by national parks due to higher standards of protection. Outside of national parks, however, many more deer pellet groups were found (βNationalpark = –1.1, SE = 0.28, t = –4.05, P < 0.001) (Table 2). In the case of red deer, the influence of national parks differed from park to park. Šumava National Park has not had a significant influence on the number of deer pellet groups found in the Czech Republic. In Bavaria, the number of pellet groups in the Bavarian Forest National Park (βNationalpark = 1.35, SE = 0.31, t = 4.32, P < 0.001) was significantly higher than outside the national park (Table 1). Variable national parks were the least important factor in explaining red deer distribution (5.1%) and the second most important of the four factors explaining deer distribution (16.8%) (Table 3). Unlike moles, rats, and other unprotected wildlife, deer cannot be culled by chance when they come into conflict with humans.

Shooting through regulated sports and controlled hunting in the fall and winter can help maintain or reduce deer density. Deer theft or harassment permits are available from some state wildlife agencies outside of the hunting season to reduce local density and eliminate offensive animals in agricultural and urban areas. As a prey species, deer reproduce faster than necessary to maintain their population. A hundred deer, for example, uncontrolled, but taking into account known birth and mortality rates, can reach a thousand in just ten years. This species can use a large number of habitats, including open farmland and above the tree line, but a necessary factor is access to food and cover. It retreats into dense forests, especially under conifers, or brambles when it needs rest, but it is very opportunistic and a hedge can be quite good. Deer from the south of the Czech Republic live on almost completely open farmland. [31] The animal is more likely to be spotted in places with nearby forests where one can retreat. [46] A pioneer species often associated with biotic communities at an early stage of succession, during the Neolithic period in Europe, when farmers began to colonize the continent from the Middle East, deer were abundant, using forest or wooded areas cleared by Neolithic farmers.

[47] It is a criminal offence to capture, intentionally kill or attempt to capture deer between the first hour after sunset and the beginning of the last hour before sunrise.