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Wild deer herd at Knole
It’s hard to miss the fallow deer in Knole’s parkland. They are owned and managed by the Sackville family's Knole Estate. Whilst the National Trust doesn’t manage the herd, or the entirety of the park, it’s important to us that everyone has the best experience possible, so here are some dos and don’ts.
Deer dos and don’ts
Unfortunately, many visitors to Knole are tempted to feed, touch or even pick up these wild animals. We know they look cute, but we can’t state strongly enough that it's essential to resist the temptation. The herd should be treated like any other grazing livestock, such as cattle, and viewed from a distance. And please don't try to feed them anything.
Please don't feed the deer
Deer will eat whatever food they are offered by park visitors (including fruit and vegetables). This is not part of their natural diet and will be harmful to them. They will associate humans with food and pester visitors. The deer are wild and powerful animals. They become aggressive when pestering for food.
The natural plant life at Knole provides more than enough nutrients for the deer, and as well as grazing on acorns, conkers and sweet chestnuts during winter months, their natural diet is supplemented.
Take litter home
It is equally important to pick up your litter so that the deer do not chew or ingest it, which may fatally harm them. An increase in visitors and picnics has led to a rise in litter being left around the park. Please take your litter home for disposal.
What to do if a deer approaches you
Sometimes it’s hard to avoid contact as many of the deer will happily approach people in the hope of food, but this is chiefly as a result of becoming used to humans getting too close to them. If a deer does approach you, ignore it and move away from the area. So, to all you deer lovers out there, please, please do not feed these beautiful creatures.
Tick bites and Lyme disease
All woodlands and parks can attract ticks. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread to humans by infected ticks, which feed on the blood of birds and mammals, including humans. If you touch or feed the deer you could increase your chances of being bitten by a tick.
To familiarise yourself with symptoms and things you can do to prevent tick bites, visit the NHS website
Safety advice for dog walkers
Please keep your dog on a lead at all times whilst in the park. Just like a herd of cows, the deer in the park are wild, unpredictable animals that roam freely and can feel threatened by dogs. Unfortunately, the deer have been fatally attacked by dogs off lead in the park.
About the deer
Did you know there have been deer at Knole for over 500 years? Knole’s medieval deer park is the last of its kind in Kent. The park was created in 1456 when Archbishop Bourchier first enclosed the area with a fence to make a park for deer hunting. Fallow deer have freely roamed the parkland ever since.
If you want to learn about the herd, come along to a deer keeping session or guided walk that take place regularly throughout the year. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved and ask questions. Please visit the Events section on our home page for full details.
The deer in autumn
The deer rut takes place in the autumn, when the bucks wil fight each other for the does. Most of the rutting occursat at dawn and dusk. By the end of September, the bucks are all fired up and holding their stands, and their magnificent antlers are fully grown. The biggest bucks will hold a hareem of 20-30 does and other bucks will try to steal does from another hareem - this is when the fighting happens.
The deer rut can be impressive to watch but remember to keep a safe distance. When the deer are holding their stands they do not want people near them.
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