Did you know we have three types of deer?

Red deer in the Deer Park at Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal

Studley Royal deer park is home to three different types of deer. Do you know your bucks from your stags and your hinds from your does? If not, read on.

Red deer

These are the largest in Studley Royal park. They’re indigenous to the UK and are usually a dark reddish brown. The male is called a stag and have large antlers shaped like tree branches. The female is called a hind and the young are referred to as calves.

You'll see red, fallow and sika deer as you explore the deer park
Red deer in the Deer Park at Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal

Fallow deer

These deer originate from France and were brought over during the Norman conquest. They were introduced to Studley Royal at the end of the 1600s. They’re a pale brown colour with white spots, but you do occasionally see an all-white or dark colouring, too. The male is called a buck, and have ‘palmate’ antlers (broad and flat). The female is known as a doe and her young as a fawn.

A fallow deer buck prepares to take on the other bucks in the autumn rut
Fallow deer buck prepares for rut at Charlecote Park in autumn

Manchurian Sika

These are the smallest and most timid deer in Studley Royal park. They originate in the Far East and have a white, heart-shaped marking on their bottom. The males are called stags with antlers like tree branches. The females are called hinds and their young are calves.

Sika deer in Studley Royal deer park
Sika deer in Studley Royal deer park

 

Deer Facts

  • Deer strip off bark and use it like chewing gum. This means the trees in the deer park need protecting with metal railings for up to 40 years.
  • The velvet hanging from the stag or bucks antlers in September is where the phrase ‘in tatters’ comes from.
  • Deer eat short grass, which means you can’t graze deer and sheep together as they’ll be competing for food. You can graze deer with cattle, however, as cattle eat longer grasses.