Roe deer, like all deer, shed their antlers in the winter. Their development takes place in the following sequence. In the autumn of the first year (October-November), male roe deer have horns - low bone processes covered with skin - "pipes". By April-May next year these processes grow above the ears and are thick, unbranched "pins". "Goats" clean them from the leathery "velvet shirt", and the horns become smooth "rods" pointed at the ends. Males wear these "rods" all summer and autumn until December-January. Then the first horns fall off in the same way as in adult "goats": only "stumps" remain on the skull of the animal, which are overgrown with skin. After a couple of months (by March), young males begin to grow second, larger horns - also covered with skin. By summer, they are fully formed and already have two or three processes. By the beginning of the rutting period (approximately by the middle of summer), these horns are cleared of "velvet" and differ from the horns of adults in a thinner rod and processes, a weakly pronounced "rosette" - bone growths at the base. The second horns "goats" are shed at the age of more than two years: in November-December of the third year of life. Also, small “stumps” remain from them, overgrown with skin, and they also form until next year. These horns no longer differ from the horns of older individuals. Further, the cyclic change of horns occurs every year, but the number of processes on them does not increase. The horns only become more prominent due to the deepening of the longitudinal grooves on them and the increase in the number and size of "pearls". In old "goats", degradation of the horns is possible - a change in their shape, a decrease in weight, etc.

The natural lifespan of roe deer is about 15 years, but it is unlikely that any of them in wild nature can reach that age. Most likely, even the most cautious and experienced animals die for various reasons, and most often they are shot by hunters before they reach half of their age limits.

Although the range of roe deer covers vast territories, their continuous (ubiquitous) habitat cannot be observed in these landscapes. Roe deer prefer forest-steppe or light deciduous forests with vast grassy glades to everything else. But under the dynamic advance of man on the forest-steppe (in Europe and many regions of Asia), the occupation of land for agricultural land, roe deer were pushed further into various mixed forests, except for the zone of continuous taiga.

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Roe deer belong to the order of artiodactyl animals, suborder of ruminants, deer family. Their subfamily consists of only one species - roe deer, which includes 5 subspecies: European, North Caucasian, Siberian, Tien Shan and Far Eastern, although until now the final structure of their taxonomy is not clear and controversial.

But this is the business of scientists, hunting experience suggests that even, for example, the Siberian subspecies of roe deer, depending on the habitat, has significant differences not only in color (darker, lighter), but also in body size and weight. Moreover, the weight criterion of adults fluctuates in significant (up to 30%) limits in the same natural complexes (stations).

Archaeological data indicate that roe deer appeared on Earth more than 4 million years ago (their ancestors, the so-called pro roe deer - 20-40 million years), and are one of the oldest representatives of deer.

The appearance and size of fossil roe deer are almost identical modern type these animals. Their range also closely coincided with the territory of the current distribution of roe deer: this is Europe and, probably, the northern half of Asia.

Roe.

By appearance roe deer are similar to a small deer, but with a lighter and more slender body, neat (no more than 2 head lengths) horns with several (3-5) sharp processes. The body size of a roe deer, depending on the habitat, is 100-150 cm long, 80-120 cm high in croup.

The head of a roe deer is with large, pointed ears and an elongated muzzle. Depending on the subspecies, this elongation has a different proportion in relation to the skull. Yes, and the structure of the skull of roe deer in different parts of their range is variable: in Europeans it is wider, in Siberian ones it is narrower.

The large eyes of roe deer are dark brown, with oblique pupils (who knows, perhaps our distant ancestors called this animal roe deer from the word “kosina”, or maybe from the word scythe, mow, i.e.

ability to cut grass and branches with teeth?). At the end of the muzzle of the roe deer there is an area with bare, black skin, with wide nostrils. The neck is long and flexible, up to a third of the entire body. On their feet, these animals are high. Moreover, the hind legs are slightly longer than the front ones, which is why, in a calm state, their croup is slightly higher than the withers.

The legs of roe deer are narrow, pointed at the end, with black hooves and additional hooves located high behind the wrist.

The coloration of roe deer, both males and females, is close to uniform: in summer it is bright red, in winter it is brownish brown.

Although, depending on the habitat, it can vary widely: lighter or darker, brighter or dimmer. Belly, Bottom part the muzzle and neck, the inner sides of the legs are noticeably lighter than the rest of the body, especially the back. At the tail, a snow-white or slightly yellowish area, called a mirror, stands out sharply.

Roe deer from birth to autumn molt have a reddish coat with rows of light spots on the top and sides of the body.

IN winter time the roe deer's hairline is very thick - an undercoat with a brittle tubular awn.

The presence of cavities filled with air in the awn significantly increases the thermal insulation qualities of wool. On the head (including ears), neck and legs, the hair is less brittle, much stronger and denser.

In summer, the coat consists of thinner and shorter guard hairs, with almost no undercoat. Roe deer molt twice a year in spring and autumn.

The weight of roe deer, depending on the subspecies, varies widely. The smallest animals, no more than 20 kg, live in Western Europe, Belarus.

In the European part of Russia and in the North Caucasus, they are slightly larger - up to 35 kg. Ural roe deer are even larger - their weight reaches 50 kg and even more. The largest are found in Western Siberia and especially in the Altai Territory: their usual weight is 50-60 kg. But with a stable feeding regime, the absence of disturbance factors, individuals that have walked up over the summer can weigh more than 60 kg. The final maximum weight of these animals has not yet been established.

According to experienced Siberian hunters, it is close to 70 kg for adult and healthy males 4-7 years old, living in favorable conditions. Further, to the east, roe deer become smaller again and in Primorye their weight does not exceed 30 kg.

Subspecies differences in roe deer are clearly visible in the structure and pattern of horns. The "goats" of the western part of the range have small, one might say, straight, horns close to each other, on which, depending on age, there are no more than 3 processes - almost without longitudinal grooves and bone growths, called pearls by hunters.

Male roe deer of the Ural-Siberian zone have more powerful, widely spaced horns with deep furrows and large "pearls". They can have up to 5 age shoots, although such individuals are rare. For a long hunt for roe deer - more than half a century and with participation in commercial shootings - I happened to get no more than half a dozen "goats" with more than 4 processes on their horns.

Roe deer, like all deer, shed their antlers in the winter. Their development takes place in the following sequence.

In the autumn of the first year (October-November), male roe deer have horns - low bone processes covered with skin - "pipes". By April-May of the next year, these processes grow above the ears and are thick unbranched "pins".

"Goats" clean them from the leathery "velvet shirt", and the horns become smooth "rods" pointed at the ends. Males wear these "rods" all summer and autumn until December-January. Then the first horns fall off in the same way as in adult "goats": only "stumps" remain on the skull of the animal, which are overgrown with skin. After a couple of months (by March), young males begin to grow second, larger horns - also covered with skin. By summer, they are fully formed and already have two or three processes.

By the beginning of the rutting period (approximately by the middle of summer), these horns are cleared of "velvet" and differ from the horns of adults in a thinner rod and processes, a weakly pronounced "rosette" - bone growths at the base. The second horns "goats" are shed at the age of more than two years: in November-December of the third year of life.

Also, small “stumps” remain from them, overgrown with skin, and they also form until next year. These horns no longer differ from the horns of older individuals. Further, the cyclic change of horns occurs every year, but the number of processes on them does not increase.

The horns only become more prominent due to the deepening of the longitudinal grooves on them and the increase in the number and size of "pearls". In old "goats", degradation of the horns is possible - a change in their shape, a decrease in weight, etc.

The natural lifespan of roe deer is about 15 years, but it is unlikely that any of them in the wild can reach this age.

Most likely, even the most cautious and experienced animals die for various reasons, and most often they are shot by hunters before they reach half of their age limit.

Although the range of roe deer covers vast territories, their continuous (ubiquitous) habitat cannot be observed in these landscapes.

Roe deer prefer forest-steppe or light deciduous forests with vast grassy glades to everything else. But under the dynamic advance of man on the forest-steppe (in Europe and many regions of Asia), the occupation of land for agricultural land, roe deer were pushed further into various mixed forests, except for the zone of continuous taiga.

At the southern borders of the range, these animals live in mountain forests, shrubs and reeds, lake reeds, forest plantations, extensive fallows with tall weeds, farmland fields, etc.

General information

The real roe deer is a representative of a special genus, which is characterized by rounded, slightly branched, helical rough horns, sometimes covered with beautiful tubercles and without supraorbital branches.

Teeth - 32, since for the most part there are no fangs.

The European wild roe deer reaches 1.3 m in length and 75 cm in height, the tail is barely 2 cm. The male weighs 1.5-2 pounds, the female is less.

Compared to the red deer, the roe deer is more densely built, its head is shorter and blunt, the body is thicker in front than behind, the back is almost straight: the ears medium size, eyes are large, lively, pubescent with long eyelashes. The coat consists of a short, elastic, hard and round network and a long, wavy, soft and brittle undercoat. Summer color - dark rusty color, brown-gray in winter. The eyes of the roe deer are large, expressive, dark brown, with oblique pupils.

The weight of newborn roe deer cubs does not exceed 1-1.3 kilograms.

The horns of the young in the form of small protrusions appear already in the autumn of the first year, but reach full development only by April of the next year.

More often, the first horns look like a simple rod, sometimes small processes appear on them. These horns are shed in December, and by spring, second horns grow, with 2-3 ends. In the third year, the horns reach full development. In adult males, in May - June, the horns ossify and are cleared of skin. At the age of 9, the roe deer show signs of aging. The maximum age of their life is 11-12 years, some males lived up to 16 years.

The hooves of the roe deer are narrow, pointed at the front end, black and shiny.

There are two pairs of them on each leg of the roe deer (therefore, it belongs to the order of artiodactyl animals): one is the main one - on the third and fourth fingers, the other - additional - on the second and fifth fingers.

Each leg of a roe deer has two pairs of hooves. One of them - larger - the main one. The second pair, consisting of small, lateral hooves, is located rather high above the main pair; roe deer rely on them only when walking on loose or marshy ground.

The roe deer does not have the first finger, it was reduced in the process of evolution.

Additional hooves are half the size of the main ones and are located behind and significantly higher than them, so when walking they usually do not touch the ground. On the front leg, the main outer hoof is slightly longer and sharper than the inner one; on the hind leg, both main hooves are equally developed. In males, the footprint of the front legs is more round and obtuse, in females it is more oblong and narrow.

The uneven death of roe deer of different sexes can manifest itself even during the period of embryonic development.

However, more often among newborn roe deer, the number of males and females is almost equal, and a slight predominance of females is planned only a few months after their birth. By the end of summer, among calves, on average, there are 1.2 females per male, and among roe deer older than one and a half years - already 1.5 females. Thus, these and other data indicate that female roe deer are more viable than males.

It is possible that this phenomenon is based on differences in the physiological and biochemical processes occurring in the organism of animals, as well as in their behavior.

The Siberian roe deer is the largest subspecies, the average body weight is 35 kg (the weight of old males is up to 58 kg), “pearl” is less pronounced.

The Manchurian or Chinese roe deer occupies an intermediate position. The average weight is 28–30 kg (Geptner V.T., Nasimovich A.A., Bannikov A.G., 1961).

The North Caucasian roe deer is a smaller form described by V.G. Geptner. Its horns resemble the horns of the Siberian roe deer, their length does not exceed 33 cm. Males weigh an average of 30 kg, a maximum of 40 kg; heavier individuals are rare.

On the territory of the Mazanovsky district, meetings with Siberian and Manchurian roe deer were noted.

Range and stations

The roe deer is widespread in Europe and Asia. In the Russian Federation, it mainly lives in the southern half of the forest zone, in the forest-steppe and mountain forests. The European roe deer reaches the north to the Baltic and the Leningrad region, to the south to the Crimea and Transcaucasia. In Siberia, it occurs up to about 550 middle latitude. The Manchurian subspecies lives in the Amur Region, Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories.

Roe deer avoid solid forests, as well as steep mountains. It rises to the mountains up to 2–3 km.

Prefers mixed and broad-leaved forests with undergrowth, undergrowth and grass cover on plains and gentle hills interspersed with fields and grassy swamps.

Gets along well up close settlements, in separate forests and groves surrounded by fields. IN Central Asia found not only in mountain forests, but also in reed beds along rivers.

Avoids deep snow.

Description of the species

Roe deer is a slender and graceful animal. The head is small, with large mobile ears and expressive almond-shaped eyes. The neck is elongated, flexible. The body is elongated rib cage rounded. The limbs are slender, with well-developed muscles. Body length at the withers 75-100 cm, weight 25-20 (up to 60) kg. The pelvic limbs are longer than the chest ones, which is typical for animals adapted to rapid movement and large (up to 7–8 m) jumps (Sokolov V.E., Danilkin A.A.

1981). The hooves are black and very strong. In males, the shape of the hoof is round; in females, it is oval. Horns, as a rule, are present only in males, although very rarely, underdeveloped horns are found in females.

The horns are small (17–26 cm), in adults with three processes, wide "rosettes" and pronounced "pearl". Pearls (pearls) are located on the inside and back of the horn trunk, most clearly expressed in the area close to the rosette. Most often, the pearl extends to the first process. The first and second processes are more often located in the same plane, almost parallel to the axis of the body, and the angle formed by their plane with the third is fairly constant.

(Of the 63 specimens examined, about 70% of all horns have it in the range of 130–1440). The type of horns is mainly (85.5%) lyre-shaped, the rest are V-shaped and intermediate between them (Smirnov M.N. 1975). Every year, shortly after the rut, roe deer shed their antlers. The antlers start growing in December.

In May, young trees and shrubs with peeled bark and broken branches are quite common, on which roe deer cleaned the dried skin from the horns (Darman Yu.A. 1990).

Sexual dimorphism is rather weakly expressed. Males are on average only slightly larger than females.

It is quite easy to determine the sex and approximate age of an animal encountered with a little experience. Underyearlings (younger than a year old) until August have a spotty color and clearly stand out among old animals in size and body proportions.

Six-month-old roe deer are on average 10 cm lower and 20 cm shorter than adults. Males aged one to two years are significantly different in horns, the so-called "awls".

These horns usually have the appearance of straight or slightly curved sharp rods without processes and a rosette, and the length of these horns rarely exceeds the length of the ears. In terms of size, the animals of this group are close to adults, but are lighter built. The body length is less than in adults by an average of 10 cm, the height at the withers is 5 cm. The neck is held almost vertically when walking. Adult males (from two to seven years old) have developed ears, usually with three processes, two or more times longer than the ears, with clearly visible pearls and rosettes.

The strongest males have the most developed horns. They are usually symmetrical, have 3 processes, have a lyre-like or V-shape. The pearls are sharpest in the spring, when the animal begins to clean its horns from the dried skin. The structure of the horns of adult roe deer serves to perform three functions: an indicator of the physical and reproductive power of an individual, a tool for marking, a tool for defense and attack.

The horns are cleaned in May, by the time individual sites are fixed, and the animals receive a tool ready for display, marking the territory, and protecting it. Immediately after cleaning, pearls and rosettes have very sharp edges. Before the shedding of the horns in November, when the manifestation of territorialism fades, rosettes and pearls are rounded, smoothed, the gaps between them are clogged with resin and bark particles.

The silhouettes of adult males look more stocky, the neck is thick and seems inactive, its inclination to the horizontal in a calmly walking animal is close to 450. Males older than seven or eight years old have weaker horns, sometimes they are disproportionately thin compared to stumps, symmetry disappears.

Pearls almost disappear. The silhouette of old animals looks downcast, thin, the coat is often disheveled. When walking, he holds his neck almost parallel to the ground (Kucherenko S.P. 1976)

Females, at the age of one to two years, reach the size of an adult, but differ in a more graceful physique and a mobile thin neck. The movements of young females are impulsive, graceful, even in a calm state they move with their heads held high.

Adult males, from two to seven years old, have a more massive figure and are more calm. In the summer plumage, in females, in place of the pure white winter “mirror”, a clear light spot stands out, more noticeable than in roe deer of other age groups, which is obviously necessary for the constant visual connection of the calf with its mother. Adult females look somewhat slimmer in comparison with males.

Their neck is thinner and therefore seems longer than that of males, its slope is close to 450, old (older than 7 years), females keep their heads low when walking, their figure seems thin, and their hair is devoid of shine (Smirnov M.N.

The vision of the roe deer is well developed. Animals notice a moving person in an open area at a distance of up to 2 km, and in a sparse forest - at 0.5 km. Roe deer distinguishes motionless objects worse.

Adult roe deer run very fast, normally a dog and even a wolf cannot catch up with them.

Fleeing from persecution, the roe deer deliberately goes to the rubble and easily overcomes them with strong, almost vertical jumps, leaving the predator.

Roe deer swim very well and, on occasion, escape from predators in the water.

The narrow and short hooves of these animals are able to move apart somewhat, and thanks to this they can walk through the swamps. Roe deer climb mountains well (Yurgenson P.B. 1968).

Appearance description

The color, density and height of the hairline have seasonal and age differences.

Newborns are covered with soft, short, reddish-brown hair with six rows of white spots on the sides and spine.

The website will be back up and running in the next few days.

This is a protective coloration that allows you to disguise yourself in thickets of bushes during the period of greatest vulnerability. By August, beginning of September, the coloration becomes like that of adults. The summer fur of the roe deer is represented by short, stiff, monochromatic dark red hair. Winter fur is brown-gray, around the tail and below there is a white spot - a “mirror”.

Sincerely, A.P. YANKOVSKY. Candidate of Biological Sciences.

Now I understand why the poaching public so thoroughly “sticked” an awkward name with a certain negative meaning to a graceful animal. After all, to kill a goat or a goat - it sounds, according to their ideas, not so reprehensible.

However, the similarity of the roe deer with goats, rams and other so-called bovids is only in the presence of horns and split hooves. Hunters should be aware that, unlike goats, whose horns are spiky, hollow, naked, and grow without shedding throughout their lives, roe deer horns (with sprouts and covered with skin until the end of the season) are made of bone and are found only in males, and they drop them in the middle of winter until next summer.

Therefore, it is recommended to stop even the permitted shooting of deer (including roe deer and elk) after December, when not only the females, who at that time are almost 100% pregnant, but also the males shedding them until spring have no horns. You, gentlemen, do not need meat, but “trophies” in the form of large horns, so hold off on shooting!

In general, there are more than enough myths about roe deer.

Novosibirsk meanwhile really lucky. Representatives of a special - Siberian - subspecies of roe deer live in our region with the maximum dimensions of the body and horns for the whole species. Animals of this subspecies are very resilient, they are widely settled down to the woodlands of Yakutia and the mountainous regions of southern Siberia.

A certain degree of land development by people is even beneficial to them. There, the trees are cut down, and the branches with leaves sticking out from under the snow serve as good food. There, shreds of hay, when transporting stacks, are dragged along the roadside among the snow-covered expanses - also very handy ...

Or fishermen left a bag of salt in the bushes, so scarce and so tasty for ungulates ... They cannot adapt (adapt) to one thing only - to human greed and cruelty of shooters at live targets, lovers of "free" meat.

Sometimes I hear from such "figures" that there are quite a lot of roe deer.

In places there are more of them than hares. But even crafty hunting lobbyists admit that there are actually very few roe deer, ten times fewer than members of hunting societies.

There is clearly not enough for everyone who wants it ... That is why we do not see them, driving hundreds of kilometers a day along roads and country roads. This is not Europe for you, where the game is visible everywhere in the fields in crowds! Our roe deer are so “pushed up” by motorized armed pursuers that only at night they risk leaving the impassable thickets of swampy willow or reed to feed.

But even at night they, poor fellows, are everywhere trying to blind and shoot from jeeps, the owners of which in their “justifications” are straightforward and ruthless, like shots from their carbines with optical sights: “The goat, she was created in order to be killed.

Annual life cycle and roe deer hunting calendar

If not me, then someone else will "soak" her.

At the same time, they Jesuitically equate the shooting of game for fun and the slaughter of culled livestock. While these are completely different topics. Roe deer, unlike domestic animals, survive in an often hostile environment not only without human intervention, but, on the contrary, in constant flight from him.

Therefore, the village children were right, by the way, sometimes participating in the gutting of domestic animals themselves, who, seeing from the window of the school bus, as a well-known person in the district, skinned the carcass by the side of the road, complained to the district authorities.

And it, the authorities, appropriately and fairly punished the one who defiantly skinned a roe deer he had shot (albeit under a license) in full view of the schoolchildren.

My friend once admitted that more than once he was actually persuaded to take a license and go for the "red game". But each time he had to refuse such a tempting offer, because both daughters said: “If you kill a roe deer, this lovely wonderful deer, don’t bring meat home, eat the game yourself in an open field ...” It should be recognized that roe deer are found only within the boundaries of the land, where hunters guard them from unauthorized shooting with the same care as their own livestock.

With frightening regularity, the media reported on shootings, injuries and murders in the lands on this soil, including in the not so distant environs of Novosibirsk. In Zdwinsk, attackers somehow set fire to the cowshed and garage of a local hunter, and only by a miracle did they manage to save his house and household from the fire.

Roe deer is the most common ungulate hunting animal in Ukraine.

According to the estimates of the State Statistics Service, in 2015, 149.7 thousand roe deer inhabited the territory of our country, 6.7 thousand were harvested. In total in the world, according to estimates independent experts, about 3.5 million roe deer are harvested annually - this figure includes poaching. Given the prevalence of this animal and the approaching opening of the season for the male roe deer, we are starting to publish a series of articles dedicated to this graceful animal.

Features of the biology of roe deer.

Roe deer are a subfamily of the deer family, and it is divided into two species - European and Siberian roe deer.

The Latin name of the roe deer Carpeolus is a derivative of the word capra - a goat, and often in our area the roe deer is called a wild goat, taking into account their certain similarities. However, according to some guesses, they began to call this animal roe deer thanks to the obliquely set pupils of the animal.

The European roe deer is a small representative of deer, but practically not inferior to them in grace.

An adult individual reaches a length of 1.3 m, a height of 75 cm, the average weight of a male is 20-30 kg, while that of a female is slightly less. Roe deer are characterized by a relatively short body with a thicker back, a short head, narrowed towards the nose, long neck without a mane, large pointed ears and a short "rudimentary" tail.

The eyes of the roe deer deserve special attention - they are large and expressive, the pupils are obliquely set.

Nature rewarded only males with horns - already in the autumn of the first year they appear in the form of small ledges, and by April they reach full development.

However, the male sheds these first horns in December, in spring the second horns with 2-3 ends are already formed in their place, and, finally, by the third year they are finally formed - with three processes, spread out in a linear fashion. In May, the horns of an adult male are cleared of skin and ossified. IN field conditions you can determine the length of the horns by measuring them with the length of the ears, which is on average 13 cm. During the period of shedding the horns, the male can be distinguished by a tuft of hair hanging under the belly around the prepuce, as well as by a more massive and short neck.

In females, a tuft of hair closes the urogenital opening and is characterized by its yellow color - such a spot contrasts against the background of a white mirror.

The coloration of individuals of both sexes is similar - adult representatives are one-color, reddish-red in summer with a weakly outlined mirror, grayish and gray-brown in winter with a white or light red mirror. Juveniles are spotted on a rufous background. The coat of roe deer consists of a short and stiff net and a long and soft undercoat.

Depending on the habitat, molting begins in March-April, which can last until September-October.

On each leg of the roe deer there are two pairs of hooves - the main (larger) and small lateral hooves, located high above the main ones - the animal relies on them only when walking on loose ground.

The traces of males are rounded and blunt, those of females are elongated and pointed, in both cases small.

The age limit for roe deer is 11-12 years, there have been cases when males lived up to 16 years. It is quite difficult to determine the age of an individual from a distance, unless we are talking about a male whose age is “imprinted” on the horns.

It can be said with certainty that, in addition to body size, underyearlings are distinguished from adults by a darker color of the head and body in winter fur; in one-year-olds, the legs seem long, the croup is slightly raised at the back, the muzzle is dark, the head is narrow, long and thin neck placed almost vertically.

Two-year-old males look stronger than one-year-olds, but they are still slender and have a pronounced light spot on the nose.

European roe deer

Middle-aged males are characterized by a squat body with short legs, a thick and powerful neck, sloping down with age. Elderly individuals look skinny and bony, when walking they hold their neck almost parallel to the ground, their color brightens due to gray hair, in males strongly drooping hair stands out around the prepuce.

Gon, mating and pregnancy.

Rutting in European roe deer begins in July in the western regions of Europe, in August-September in other regions.

The mass rut ​​lasts about a month, but individual pairs can be found chasing three or more months after the start of the rut. During this period, ferocity is characteristic of males, which they direct not only at rivals, but also at the future mother of offspring. As a rule, the rut takes place on the site of the male's territory - guided by his sense of smell, he quickly determines the female ready for mating (her estrus lasts 4-5 days) and proceeds to a special marriage ceremony called the rut.

The female, chased by the male, begins to run in a circle, gradually narrowing its diameter, and the young individuals do not immediately allow the males to approach them and run very quickly, thereby enraging them - there are times when the rutting male inflicts mortal wounds on the female. When the female gets tired, she interrupts her run in a circle, and lies down right on the path, however, the excited male makes her stand up with blows of his horns, and makes a cage.

The behavior of animals during the rut has a number of important biological features: the male stimulates the female with his pursuit, she simulates it with her fast run; despite the apparent aggressiveness of the male, the female is not afraid of him, but on the contrary, the male is in constant anxiety, fearing to lose her.

The male can drive 2-3 females, having fertilized one (mating occurs many times), he drives the next one, and if the number of females in a given area predominates significantly, one male can cover 5-6 females. If one adult female lives on the territory of the male, he can stay with her until the end of the rut, remaining devoted to her.

It is worth noting that the first day of “pursuit” is the most active, in the subsequent the male does not keep the female so actively, although he still does not lag behind her, and goes to rest only when the female is resting.

At the same time, males are in constant excitement throughout the rut. They spend a lot of time marking their territory, knocking out “patch patches” in the ground with their hooves, peeling and breaking trees with their horns, they feed little, which is why they significantly lose weight.

An interesting fact in the pregnancy of a roe deer, which lasts 9 months, is the latent period - for almost half the period (4-4.5 months), the fertilized egg practically does not change, but, as it were, is frozen in development, and only in December begins to actively develop.

It happens that females that are not fertilized in the summer are fertilized at this time, bypassing the latent period, and bringing offspring at the same time as the roe deer chasing in the summer. In young females, 1 cub is born, in adults, most often two, less often three. They give birth in thickets and thickets, often close to water.

The weight of roe deer is not more than 1-1.3 kg.

Roe deer cubs.

Roe deer cubs are born helpless, and can rise to their feet only 4-5 hours after birth. The female takes them away from their birthplace, usually in different directions, and comes to feed and lick them several times a day for the next two weeks, by the end of this period they already double their weight.

It is worth noting that from the 5th day of life, roe deer make attempts to eat plant foods. At three months, the cubs constantly stay near the female, thereby creating a family group - this continues until spring.

In general, they develop very quickly, and already on the 70th day their weight is a little more than 10 kg.

Fight for territory.

In spring, roe deer males defend the right to own their land, the best of which are most often distributed among old males, equal in strength. During this period, the "owners" of a certain area spend most of their time marking their possessions, repeatedly win their right in collisions with competitors. The territory of a male, on average, occupies an area of ​​7 hectares, divided into a central zone and a peripheral one.

The central zone is usually located on the slopes of hills, where there is a dense grass cover - here the male rests and hides from enemies. This zone can be determined by a large number spoons, main trails and visual marks, such as stripped trees.

The peripheral zone is 5-6 times larger than the central one, there are numerous paths along which the male goes from the resting place to the watering place and places of fattening.

The areas occupied by females are weakly isolated and often completely overlap with the area of ​​the male.

In summer, the size of the area occupied by females depends on the mobility and age of roe deer, and can reach up to 15 hectares, when the calves begin to follow their mother; and up to 35 hectares when they follow them everywhere.

Roe deer communication.

Intraspecific communication of roe deer occurs in several ways. Firstly, these are signals with the help of smell. On the head in the forehead and on the neck of males, there are sebaceous and sweat glands, significantly enlarged in size - they secrete a resinous odorous substance.

When the male rubs against trees and bushes, he leaves this substance on them, which carries important information both for his rivals (this site is occupied) and for females (a sexually mature male lives here). In both males and females, the metatarsal glands (located on the outside of the hind legs) and interdigital glands (located between a pair of main hooves) function, which secrete the secret left by animals on their trail - he gives his relatives complete information about the individual, including him gender, age.

Secondly, roe deer communicate using sounds, the most famous of which is barking.

Roe deer bark in the event that they feel anxiety, their barking is single, sometimes the animal barks several times in a row. Roe deer females also emit a whistle when a male approaches them during the rutting season. However, if a person can hear the barking of a roe deer at a distance of 3 km, then only some researchers managed to hear the whistle.

Males are characterized by a sound similar to puffing or hissing, he makes it when he pursues a female during the rut and when he detects an opponent.

Sometimes females also hiss if they are worried and aggressive.

Third, special meaning in communication, roe deer have sounds of non-vocal origin, made during certain body movements. For example, hitting the ground with the front feet indicates anxiety; deliberately high and noisy jumps are a warning signal of danger.

Roe. Description and types of roe deer. Roe deer hunting

May 27, 2011 Hunting and fishing, Ungulates

Roe deer is a graceful ungulate animal that inhabits alpine meadows, steppe zones, open swampy areas, woodlands with shrubs.

It lives in Europe, in Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus and in the Baltic countries. It is also distributed in the southwestern regions of Asia, where it settles on the slopes of the Caucasus Range, having chosen the southern side.

Description of the roe deer
Roe deer species

There are five species of roe deer in total..

The smallest of them is the European roe deer, whose body length reaches from 100 to 135 centimeters, weight - from 20 to 37 kilograms, height at the withers - from 75 to 90 centimeters. The Asian roe deer is much larger. But the largest roe deer is Siberian: its body length is one and a half meters, weight is more than 50 kilograms.

The average European roe deer, which are the most common, has a graceful and light build. and relatively short body.

Their ears are long - from 12 to 14 centimeters, pointed in shape. The tail is rudimentary, from 2 to 3 centimeters, usually covered with hair. The color of roe deer is uniform: in winter - gray, in summer - red. Under the tail there is a light zone, the so-called "mirror".

The roe deer's coat is usually thick and prone to breakage. Males are horned, but females are not. The horns of roe deer are not large, set almost vertically, straight, with three processes (in Asian roe deer - five each).

Roe deer hunting

Roe deer hunting with dogs

Experienced hunters immediately warn: for hunting roe deer it is best to take experienced hounds, which are already sufficiently set on other game, such as hares and foxes.

• The first reason: an untrained dog, having entered the taste of the rut of a large hoofed animal, will refuse to work with any other prey, which is especially undesirable for young hounds.
• The second reason: unaccustomed dogs, following a roe deer that has left in a straight line, often stray and get lost.

During the pursuit, the roe deer makes its way under the cover of shrubs and trees, avoiding open spaces and gaps.

But if the roe deer is forced to cross them, then it tries to go along the narrowest place available among the forest areas. It is not at all afraid of the "foot" hounds digging in its tracks. At the time of the rut, it often stops, freezes and even lies down, and therefore its path is difficult to predict.

It walks best under a medium-sized viscous hound, which forces it to make even and small circles - so it does not leave its territory.

Theme of the week

A herd of roe deer raised by dogs runs as fast as it can without stopping for a kilometer or two. And only then the animals get up and listen to the chase. If it is, they scatter in all directions. Shooting is best done with buckshot, choosing numbers based on the distance to the target.

Hunting for roe deer

Two or three shooters are needed to hunt roe deer, which will block the most promising transitions and directions, and one or two beaters.

It is based on accurate possession of information about the permanent trails of roe deer, their days and places of food. The primary factor is days, which can be used to calculate everything else, including roe deer crossings, taking into account habits. The raised beast is driven towards the lurking arrows, who beat them from cover. Persecution when hunting roe deer in this way is not provided - only the surge of animals.

Surge hunting for roe deer is also suitable for ungulates on the move: having found fresh traces of a herd, it is necessary, based on the nature of the landscape zone and the terrain, to determine the most likely direction of its departure.

In the forest, these are zones of dense undergrowth that cover the watersheds between the beams for a long distance. When roe deer are driven away from the beaters under the cover of natural folds of relief and vegetation, they overcome open areas, which include clearings and roads, by instantaneous jumps.

Therefore, the shooters need to take up positions to fire into the depths of the forest, without waiting for the roe deer to appear in the open.

But if the beam is branched and wide, and the undergrowth is thick, then it is preferable to stand with your back to a bush or tree at breaks in forests, on roads and clearings.

This will give you a better view of the area. Here, hunters should prepare to shoot almost at a flying animal, since roe deer do not even touch the soil with their hooves when crossing glades.

Roe deer hunting

In case of changeable snow, the presence of solid crust and areas that have thawed on the southern slopes, the path of roe deer, which leave the beaters, can be calculated very accurately - the animals go only along the thawed patches, avoiding hard crust. They leave as usual, stepping footsteps.

Moreover, the last in the chain is always an old and experienced male. At the time of roe deer hunting by trailing, the distance between the hunter and the roe deer, as a rule, does not exceed 400 meters, traditionally remaining between 120 and 250 meters.

A roe deer usually leaves a slow-moving and quiet hunter with a calm tread, often stopping on the move. A wounded ungulate, like a hare, always tries to confuse its own track, clearly visible on the snow cover: it makes loops, platoons, and discounts in the same way.

Often "ties up" the old and new circles, deliberately entering them. It also passes through stony placers, where there is little snow and where there are almost no traces.

Hunting for roe deer

Roundup hunting for roe deer requires about 10 beaters and the same number of shooters. The first move with sonorous cries and noises at a distance of 100 meters from one another, covering the entire territory of interest to them in a semicircle. Hearing gunfire in the distance, they begin to scream and make noise even louder to prevent the roe deer from breaking through the formation.

The raid on roe deer takes place with strict consideration of the direction of the wind, because the roe deer, smelling the shooters standing on the numbers, will not come out to them in the line of fire, trying to run into reverse side– on the beaters and overcome their chain.

With a variable wind and in those areas where roe deer are intensively pursued, it is preferable to conduct a counter-hunt instead of the usual roundup, in which the beaters start moving from the shooting line. Raised roe deer fly through this formation and stumble upon the shooters. The counterfold can be several times more productive than the traditional paddock.

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Roe(Latin Capreolus) - an animal of the deer family, a class of mammals, a detachment of artiodactyls. Other names are roe, wild goat. This is a small graceful deer. It has a short body with a thinner and lower front compared to the back.

The average weight of a male is from 22 to 32 kg, body length is from 108 to 125 cm, height at the withers is from 65 to 80 cm. The female is slightly smaller, but basically does not differ much from the male. Appearance typical for deer.

The head is short, tapering from the ears to the nose; ears are oblong and pointed at the end; eyes are different large sizes and bulge; pupils squint a little; long neck; the legs are slender, the hind legs are slightly longer than the front ones; small hooves; tail is tiny. You can see clearly at roe deer photo.

In males roe deer horns grow small branched, which grow almost vertically. Their length is from 15 to 30 cm and the span is from 10 to 15 cm. They have three branches, of which the middle one is tilted forward. In young roe deer, horns begin to grow at the 4th month of life, and fully develop at the 3rd year of life. The females do not grow horns.

All adult individuals have a coat of a uniform color, but it changes depending on the time of the year: in warm weather it is dark red, in cold weather it is grayish-brown. The tail area is decorated with a small spot white color.

Newborn cubs have spotted fur. This helps them to hide among the green forest vegetation. After two or three months, the color gradually becomes the same as in adults and the spots gradually disappear.

There are 5 types of roe deer. Smallest sizes has a European look (length 1 - 1.35 m, weight 20 - 35 kg, height 0.75 - 0.9 m), Asian - medium in size, Siberian - the largest (length on average 1.5 m, weight more 50 kg).

Roe deer habitat

Basic roe deer habitat located in Europe. The habitat ranges stretch from the middle of Scandinavia to the Gulf of Finland. Also, this animal can be found in the countries of Asia Minor, in Iran, Iraq, in the Caucasus, on the Crimean peninsula. The boundaries of the habitat also pass through Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Korea, Tibet and some other countries.

Most often, forest-steppe is chosen for living, especially places that are located near river valleys. Also, they can live both in coniferous (but in the presence of deciduous undergrowth), and in deciduous forests. Some species feel great in the Central Asian mountains. In those zones where the steppe is located, there are no semi-deserts or deserts.

They prefer to lead a sedentary lifestyle all year round. Individuals stray into small groups and are located in a certain territory. Even in especially cold periods, the herd does not develop an area of ​​​​more than 2 hectares. In autumn and spring, they migrate at a distance of up to 20 km.

In autumn, they prefer to go to those areas where there is less snow and there is more food. With spring warming, they move to summer pastures. In the hot summer season, they go to graze in the cool time of the day, and when the heat is in full swing, they lie in the grass or bushes.

In summer, each individual keeps a little apart from the others, protecting its own territory. When does it end mating season- rally into heterogeneous herds, the number of which can vary from 30 to 100 individuals. Such a group lives on an area of ​​about 1000 hectares.

On average, the number of individuals for a certain area increases in the direction from north to south: in the taiga zone, 1 individual per 1000 ha falls, in mixed and deciduous forests from 30 to 60, in the forest-steppe - from 50 to 120 heads.

Reproduction and life expectancy of roe deer

The roe deer rut period is in the summer, the total duration is about three months (from June to August, and sometimes even to September). For example, at European look the beginning of the rut falls on June, while Siberian roe deer is the middle of August.

The beginning of the rut varies depending on the altitude of the herd. And also, the farther from east to west and from north to south, the earlier everything starts according to the date. For example, consider the rutting time of the Austrian species: in the lowlands - 20.07 - 07.08, in the hills - 25.06 - 15.08, in the mountains - 03.08 - 20.08. In a very small number of females, estrus begins in late autumn (September–December).

During this period, the animals are less cautious, and the males almost stop feeding and intensively chase the females. Their attitude towards females is quite aggressive - they can hit with horns. At first, the run takes place in a circle of large diameter, the longer - the smaller the diameter of the circle.

And in the end, the pursuit takes place near a tree, a bush or a pit, and the trajectory of movement is more like a figure eight or a circle from 1.5 to 6 meters in diameter. Then the female stops running, the male makes a certain number of cages. Then the animals rest.

In nature, in the wild, more often one male chases one female, less often - more. And vice versa - one male drives one female, less often - more. Although in one rutting period, he can fertilize up to six females. Roe deer do not create long-term pairs.

These animals are the only ungulates that have a latent (hidden) period of pregnancy - a temporary delay in the development of a fertilized egg. Those roe deer that become pregnant in late autumn do not have a latent period. During pregnancy, animals behave much more carefully and more carefully.

The gestation period lasts 6 - 10 months, but on average - 40 weeks. In goats in Europe, the Crimea and the Caucasus, cubs will be born in late spring - early summer. One or two kids are born at a time, sometimes three or four.

The period of birth shifts to the latest numbers from south to north and from west to east. Before calving (approximately 1 month), the roe deer takes possession of a certain area, where it plans to give birth, and drives away other individuals.

Most often, the preference is for places on the forest edges, in thickets of bushes or grasses, where you can hide well and have plenty of food. Most often, calving occurs during the daytime and at the same place year after year.

Roe deer, born, are in the grass for about a week. Since they are still helpless, the mother does not go far. After a week, the cubs begin to follow their mother, and after two, they no longer leave her.

They suck milk until the age of three months, although they begin to eat grass from the first month. At the end of the rut (during his time, keep at some distance so that the aggressive male does not injure or kill), they follow their mother until spring.

Roe deer nutrition

In the period of time when there is no snow cover, the main ingredient in the diet of roe deer are herbaceous plants. With the onset of cold weather and snowfall, shoots of bushes are added, less often - shoots of pine or spruce.

They love berries (mountain ash, viburnum, bird cherry, blueberries, blueberries, lingonberries and many others), do not neglect mushrooms. They can pick up apples, if any, or eat mountain ash.

In the hot months, they need to enrich the diet with minerals. Therefore, they go to salt licks created both naturally and artificially. Basically, solonetsing is carried out several times a year: April-May, July, before and after the rut, September-October.

The greatest difficulties are experienced roe deer in winter especially in the second half. IN given time they eat the grass that is visible on top of the snow cover, they can tear up the snow and eat low-growing grasses.

Or they are looking for places well blown by the wind (near rocks and stones). If the layer of snow is very thick and difficult to rake, they look for branches of shrubs and undergrowth of deciduous trees (for example, aspen, birch).

Roe deer hunting

The roe deer is classified as a hunting species in the southern regions due to its high reproducibility. Also, roe deer meat considered very useful and nutritious. In many eastern countries roe deer dishes are a common delicacy.

Those who do not hunt can buy roe deer meat. It is for sale and on the Internet. For those who are interested how to cook deer, there are many recipes for cooking roe deer that can be found on the Internet.

There are several types deer hunting:

• with dogs
• surge
• trailing
• roundup.

Often used for hunting roe deer decoy, which is of two types. Some hunters hunt with headlight by installing a special device on the car, called a headlight lamp.

Since roe deer are more active at night, roe deer hunting is carried out at night. A roe deer hunting license is issued for shooting one individual per season and costs about 400 rubles.

Roe deer, whose name according to legend comes from brown slanting eyes, are one of the oldest representatives of the deer family. The study of the remains found during archaeological excavations confirmed the existence of related animals more than 40 million years ago.

Description and features

Roe deer - animal small in size, sensitive and graceful with a long beautifully curved neck, short legs ending in sharp hooves. The average height at the withers is 80 cm, body length is 1–1.4 m. The muzzle is blunt with large bulging eyes. The ears, pointed upwards, are slightly more than half the length of the skull. The second name of the animal is a wild goat.

The hind legs of the animal are longer than the front ones, which causes movement mainly in jumps, allows you to make jumps more than two meters high and up to six meters long, fascinating with their beauty.

The short body is crowned by a small tail, invisible due to thick fur. When the animal is alert, the tail rises and a white spot is visible under it, which is called a mirror by hunters.

The male differs from the female not only in larger sizes, but also in horns, which begin to grow in the fourth month of life. Roe deer horns not as branchy as those of deer, but have their own characteristics. They grow vertically to the head from the age of three and have three processes, which do not increase with age, but become more prominent.

The ends of the horns are bent inwards, as are the anterior processes. Bone outgrowths with developed tubercles (pearls) protrude on the head. Roe deer in winter are gray, in summer the color changes to golden-red or brown.

Kinds

The famous zoologist, paleontologist, candidate of biological sciences Konstantin Flerov proposed to classify roe deer into four types:

1. European

Representatives of the species live in Western Europe, including Great Britain, in the Caucasus, in the European part, Iran, Palestine. Animals are also common in Belarus, Moldova, the Baltic states and western Ukraine.

The European roe deer is notable for its small size - the body is slightly more than a meter, the height at the withers is 80 cm, and the weight is 12–40 kg. The winter coat color is gray-brown, darker than in other species. In summer, the gray head stands out against the background of the brown body.

Rosettes of horns are closely set, the trunks themselves are sheer, slightly spread, up to 30 cm high. Pearls are not sufficiently developed.

1. Siberian

The distribution area of ​​​​this species is the east of the European part of the former Soviet Union, starting beyond the Volga, the north of the Caucasus, Siberia up to Yakutia, the northwestern regions of Mongolia and the west of China.

Siberian roe deer larger than European - body length is 120-140 cm, height at the withers - up to a meter, weight ranges from 30 to 50 kg. Some individuals reach 60 kg. Females are smaller and about 15 cm lower.

In summer, the color of the head and body is the same - yellow-brown. The horns are spread wide, more prominent. They reach a height of 40 cm, have up to 5 processes. Sockets are located wide, do not touch each other. Developed pearls look like shoots. Swollen auditory blisters stand out on the skull.

The spotted color of roes is inherent in all species, but in Siberian, unlike the European, they are located not in three rows, but in four.

1. Far Eastern or Manchu

Animals live in the north of Korea, in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories. In terms of size, Manchurian roe deer are larger than European ones, but smaller than Siberian ones. A distinctive feature - the mirror under the tail is not pure white, but reddish.

In winter, the hair on the head stands out in a richer brown color than the body. In summer, the roe deer becomes bright red with a brown tint on the back.

1. Sichuan

Distribution area - China, Eastern Tibet. A distinctive feature is the largest and swollen auditory bubbles among all species. The Sichuan roe deer resembles the Far Eastern roe deer in appearance, but is shorter and smaller in weight.

The coat is gray in winter with a brown tint, the forehead is distinguished by a dark color. In summer, the animal acquires a red coat color.

Lifestyle and habitat

Despite the difference in species, the roe deer's favorite habitats are similar over a wide area of ​​distribution. These include forest-steppes, light deciduous or mixed forests with clearings, clearings. Animals consume a lot of water, so they are often found in bushes along the banks of water bodies.

Dark coniferous without undergrowth does not attract wild goats due to lack of food supply, high snow cover in winter. From autumn to spring, animals form small herds of up to 20 heads; in summer, each individual lives independently.

In the heat, roe deer graze in the morning, evening and at night, preferring to wait out the heat in the shade of trees. After the rut, from October to the end of November, migration to the wintering place begins in search of food or due to a sharp change climatic conditions. Movements over long distances occur at night, on the way migrating groups often join other small herds.

Upon arrival at the place, the animals take cover in the forest, brushing off the snow to the bare ground at the place where they lay. At strong wind they are piled up. In sunny calm weather, they prefer to arrange places to rest away from each other.

Arranged so as to control as much space around as possible. At the same time, the wind must blow from the back in order to smell the predator long before it approaches.

Movements over long distances are related to Siberian roe deer. In the distribution zone of the European species, the climate is milder, it is easier to find food, so migrations are limited to minor transitions. Individuals based on mountain slopes descend to the lower belts in winter or migrate to another slope where there is less snow.

Wild goats are excellent swimmers able to cross the Amur. But the crust above 30 cm for the European species and 50 cm for the Siberian causes difficulty in movement. Young animals skin their feet on the snow crust and often become the prey of wolves, foxes, lynxes or marmosets. Roe deer in winter tries to follow the beaten paths so as not to get bogged down in the snow.

At cold winter with a long-lasting crust, in addition to the attack of herd predators, another danger awaits. going on mass death populations due to the inability to obtain food.

In the spring, the groups return to summer pastures, disintegrate, and each individual occupies its own plot of 2-3 square meters. km. In a calm state, animals move at a step or trot, in case of danger they jump, spreading themselves above the ground. Their eyesight is not well developed, but their hearing and sense of smell work well.

Nutrition

The diet of roe deer includes grasses, shoots, buds, young leaves and fruits of shrubs and trees. In winter, wild goats eat:

• hay;
• branches of aspen, willow, bird cherry, honeysuckle, linden, mountain ash;
• moss and lichens extracted from under the snow.

Wild goats in exceptional cases are ready to eat needles, but unlike other deer goats, they do not eat bark. Roe deer are especially preferred for easily digestible, juicy food. In summer, they feast on berries of lingonberries, blueberries, strawberries.

Mushrooms are eaten in small quantities. They like to graze in meadows with forbs or in clover fields. They pick up acorns, chestnuts, wild fruits from the ground fruit trees, beech nuts.

They like to visit natural and artificial salt licks, which is what hunters use when tracking down prey. Animals during grazing behave restlessly and wary, often look around, sniff and listen to every rustle.

Reproduction and lifespan

Puberty roe deer comes to the third year of life. The rut starts at the end of July or August. At this time, an adult bull has time to fertilize up to 6 females. Pregnancy lasts 40 weeks, but has its own characteristics.

The fetus, having passed the first stages of development, freezes up to 4-4.5 months. Its further growth occurs from December to the end of April. If the summer rut is missed and fertilization occurs in December, then the pregnancy lasts only 5 months, bypassing the latent period.

The race itself is also unusual. Bulls do not roar, like other types of deer, calling to themselves an individual of the opposite sex, but find them themselves within their site. Fights between males from adjacent territories still happen when they cannot share the object of attention.

For calving, the goat goes into dense thickets closer to the water. Firstborns bring one roe deer, older individuals - two or three. The first days the newborns are very weak, they lie still, the uterus does not leave them far from them.

After a week, the babies begin to follow her for short distances. By mid-June, roe deer are already feeding on their own, and in August the spotted camouflage color is changed to brown or yellow.

By autumn, young males develop small 5 cm horns, shed in December. From January to spring, new ones grow, as in adults. The average life expectancy of wild goats is 12–16 years.

Roe deer hunting

Roe- an object of commercial, sport hunting. Shooting of males is officially allowed with a license from May to mid-October. The hunting season for females opens in October and ends by the end of December.

Roe deer meat considered the most valuable among ungulates. It is low-calorie, has only 6% low-melting fats. Suitable for dietary nutrition of both healthy and sick people. The most valuable elements are concentrated in liver, and antitumor properties are attributed to the liver. Therefore, wild goats are so attractive as an object of shooting.

Animals are always on guard, whether they are grazing or resting. Goats twist their heads in different directions, move their ears. At the slightest danger, they freeze, at any moment they are ready to flee. Unidentified, suspicious objects bypass from the leeward side.

Roe deer hunting tests fishermen and amateurs for endurance, sports training, quick reaction, shooting accuracy. In winter, a lone hunter gets an animal from an ambush or from an approach.

The second case is more exciting, it requires skill, ingenuity and knowledge of the behavior of goats. First, the area is explored. When finding traces, an experienced hunter determines the nature of the movements.

Small and multiple multidirectional hoof prints inform that a fattening place is located here and the probability of seeing a herd is high. Often places of feeding and rest are located in the neighborhood, so it's worth looking for beds. Their feature is their small size.

This is due to the fact that the animal fits compactly - it picks up its legs under itself, presses its head closer to its chest. If the tracks are rare, deep - the roe deer fled, it is pointless to go further along them.

Rules and conditions for approach hunting:

1. Favorable weather- cloudy, windy. You have to leave at dawn.
2. The gun, the equipment is prepared in advance.
3. They start bypassing the territory along the edges.
4. The movement should be silent, when looking at a certain point, they stop.
5. You can not smoke, use perfumes.
6. Approach animals against the wind.
7. They tread the snow in a zigzag pattern, crossing the tracks perpendicularly.
8. The chances of success are increased by tracking the herd rather than the individual.
9. If you hear the crackling of a branch under your feet or see that the goat has turned its face in your direction, freeze and do not move for at least 5 minutes.
10. Haste and haste when firing is doomed to failure. The gun is put into action when the roe deer stop in order to find out the source of danger after several preliminary jumps out of fright.

A wounded animal can run a long distance. To avoid a long pursuit of a wounded animal, you need to shoot for sure. The best place for a shot is the front half of the body, namely the head, neck, chest, under the shoulder blade.

In summer, in addition to hunting from the approach, they hunt bulls with the help of decoy during the rut. The sound should be similar to the voice of the female. They start quietly, using a decoy every 10 minutes, gradually increasing the volume.

Young animals come running faster. Sometimes the female is shown first, followed by the bull. Hunting is practiced from a tower, where the hunter sets up an ambush on a tree, having previously organized a salt lick, or paddock.

In the second case, the group of hunters is divided into beaters and shooters on the numbers. The former organize a raid on roe deer with dogs, having previously hung the territory with flags, except for the places where the arrows are located.

Roe deer in autumn fails to spend nutrients obtained in the summer, so its meat is considered the most useful at this time of the year, especially in September. The meat of a wild goat is a worthy reward for a hunter, since tracking down and killing a fast, cautious animal is not an easy task.

The European roe deer (lat. Sarreolus sarreolus) is an artiodactyl animal belonging to the deer family and the genus Roe deer. This medium-sized and very elegant deer is also well known by the names - wild goat, roe deer or simply roe deer.

Description of the roe deer

The animal has a relatively short body, and the back of the artiodactyl is slightly higher and thicker than the front. The body weight of an adult male roe deer is 22-32 kg, with a body length of 108-126 cm and an average height at the withers - no more than 66-81 cm. The female of the European roe deer is slightly smaller than the male, but the signs of sexual dimorphism are rather weakly expressed. The largest individuals are found in the northern and eastern parts of the range.

Appearance

The roe deer has a short and wedge-shaped head narrowed towards the nose, which is relatively high and wide in the eye area. The skull part is widened in the area of ​​the eyes, with a wide and shortened front part. Long and oval ears have a well-marked point. The eyes are large, bulging, with slanted pupils. The neck of the animal is long and relatively thick. The legs are thin and long, with narrow and relatively short hooves. The tail is rudimentary, completely hidden under the hairs of the "mirror". In the spring-summer period, the sweat and sebaceous glands of the males greatly increase, and through the secret, the males mark the territory. Most developed bodies senses in roe deer are hearing and smell.

This is interesting! The horns of males are relatively small, with a less or more vertical set and a lyre-shaped curvature, close together at the base.

There is no supraorbital process, and the main horn trunk is characterized by a backward curvature. Horns of rounded section, having a large number of tubercles - "pearls" and a large rosette. In some individuals, an anomaly in the development of horns is noted. Roe deer calves develop antlers from the age of four months. Full development the antlers reach the age of three, and they are shed in October-December. European roe deer females are usually hornless, but there are individuals with ugly horns.

The color of adults is monochromatic and completely devoid of sexual dimorphism. In winter, the animal has a gray or grayish-brown body, turning into a brownish-brown color in the posterior region of the back and at the level of the sacrum.

The caudal "mirror" or caudal disk is characterized by a white or light reddish color. With the onset of summer, the body and neck acquire a uniform red coloration, and the belly has a whitish-red color. In general, the summer color is more uniform than the winter "outfit". The existing population of melanistic roe deer inhabits the low-lying and swampy regions of Germany, and is distinguished by its black, shiny summer coat and dull black winter fur with a lead-gray belly coloration.

Roe deer lifestyle

Roe deer are characterized by a daily periodicity of behavior, in which periods of movement and grazing alternate with chewing food and rest. The longest are the periods of morning and evening activity, but the daily rhythm is determined by several of the most basic factors, including the season of the year, time of day, natural habitat, and the degree of disturbance.

This is interesting! average speed running speed of an adult animal is 60 km/h, and in the process of feeding, roe deer move in small steps, stopping and often listening.

In the spring-summer period, animals show increased activity with sunset, which is due to big amount blood-sucking insects. In winter, feeding becomes longer, which allows you to compensate for energy costs. Grazing takes about 12-16 hours, and about ten hours are allotted for chewing food and rest. Calm is the movement of the roe deer at a trot or step, and in case of danger, the animal moves in jumps with periodic bouncing. Males run around their entire territory every day.

Lifespan

European roe deer have high viability until they reach the age of six years, which is confirmed by the analysis of the age composition of the studied population. Most likely, after reaching such a physiological state, the animal becomes weak and absorbs nutrients from feed worse, and also does not tolerate adverse conditions. external factors. The longest lifespan of the European roe deer under natural conditions was recorded in Austria, where, as a result of repeated capture of tagged animals, a fifteen-year-old specimen was found. In captivity, artiodactyls can live a quarter of a century.

Roe deer subspecies

The European roe deer is distinguished by a wide geographical variability in size and color, which makes it possible to distinguish a large number of geographical races within the range, as well as various subspecies forms. To date, a couple of subspecies of Capreolus capreolus capreolus L. are clearly distinguished:

• Sarreolus capreolus italicus Festa is a subspecies that lives in southern and central Italy. Guarded rare view inhabits areas between southern part Tuscany, Puglia and Lazio, up to the lands of Calabria.
• Sarreolus sarreolus garganta Meunier is a subspecies characterized by a characteristic gray color of the fur in summer. It lives in southern Spain, including Andalusia or the Sierra de Cadiz.

Sometimes large roe deer from the territory of the North Caucasus are also referred to the subspecies Capreolus capreolus caucasicus, and the population of the Middle East is symbolically assigned to Capreolus capreolus coxi.

Range, habitats

European roe deer inhabit mixed and deciduous forest zones various types, as well as forest-steppe areas. In purely coniferous forests, artiodactyls are found only in the presence of a deciduous undergrowth. In the zones of real steppes, as well as deserts and semi-deserts, representatives of the genus Roe deer are absent. As the most feeding places, the animal prefers areas of sparse light forest, rich in shrubs and surrounded by fields or meadows. In summer, the animal is found in tall grass meadows overgrown with shrubby undergrowth, on the territory of reed beds and floodplain forests, as well as on overgrown ravines and clearings. The artiodactyl prefers to avoid a continuous forest zone.

This is interesting! In general, European roe deer belong to the category of animals of the forest-steppe type, more adapted to living in high grass and shrub biotope than in conditions of dense forest stand or open steppe zone.

The average population density of the European roe deer in typical biotopes increases in the direction from the northern part to the south of the range. Unlike other European ungulates, the roe deer is the most adapted to living in a cultivated landscape and close to people. In some places, such an animal lives almost all year round on various agricultural lands, hiding under forest trees only for holidays or in bad weather. The choice of habitat is primarily influenced by the availability of forage and the availability of shelter, especially in open landscapes. Also of no small importance is the height of the snow cover and the presence of predatory animals in the selected area.

European roe deer diet

The usual diet of the European roe deer includes almost a thousand species of various plants, but the artiodactyl prefers easily digestible and water-rich plant foods. More than half of the diet is represented by dicotyledonous herbaceous plants, as well as tree species. An insignificant part of the diet is made up of mosses and lichens, as well as club mosses, mushrooms and ferns. Roe deer most readily eat greens and branches:

• aspens;
• poplars;
• mountain ash;
• lindens;
• birches;
• ash;
• oak and beech;
• hornbeam;
• honeysuckle;
• bird cherry;
• buckthorn.

In order to make up for the lack minerals, artiodactyls visit salt licks, and drink water from sources that are rich in mineral salts. Animals get water mainly from plant foods and snow, and the average daily requirement is about one and a half liters. The winter diet is less diverse, and is most often represented by shoots and buds of trees or shrubs, dry grass and loose leaves. In starvation, mosses and lichens are dug out from under the snow, and tree needles and bark are also eaten.

This is interesting! In winter, when searching for food, roe deer dig up the snow with their front feet to a depth of half a meter, and all the grasses and plants found are eaten whole.

Due to the small volume of the stomach and the relatively fast process of digestion, roe deer need to be fed quite often. Maximum food is required for pregnant and lactating females, as well as males during the rut. According to the type of nutrition, the European roe deer belongs to the category of biting animals, never completely eating all the available vegetation, but only tearing off part of the plant, which makes the harm caused to various agricultural crops insignificant.

Roe deer is the most common ungulate hunting animal in Ukraine. According to the estimates of the State Statistics Service, in 2015, 149.7 thousand roe deer inhabited the territory of our country, 6.7 thousand were harvested. In total, according to independent experts, about 3.5 million roe deer are harvested annually in the world - this figure includes poaching. Given the prevalence of this animal and the approaching opening of the season for the male roe deer, we are starting to publish a series of articles dedicated to this graceful animal.

Features of the biology of roe deer.

Roe deer are a subfamily of the deer family, and it is divided into two species - European and Siberian roe deer. The Latin name of the roe deer Carpeolus is a derivative of the word capra - a goat, and often in our area the roe deer is called a wild goat, taking into account their certain similarities. However, according to some guesses, they began to call this animal roe deer thanks to the obliquely set pupils of the animal.

The European roe deer is a small representative of deer, but practically not inferior to them in grace. An adult individual reaches a length of 1.3 m, a height of 75 cm, the average weight of a male is 20-30 kg, while that of a female is slightly less. Roe deer are characterized by a relatively short body with a thicker back, a short head narrowed towards the nose, a long neck without a mane, large pointed ears and a short “rudimentary” tail. The eyes of the roe deer deserve special attention - they are large and expressive, the pupils are obliquely set.

Nature rewarded only males with horns - already in the autumn of the first year they appear in the form of small ledges, and by April they reach full development. However, the male sheds these first horns in December, in spring the second horns with 2-3 ends are already formed in their place, and, finally, by the third year they are finally formed - with three processes, spread out in a linear fashion. In May, the horns of an adult male are cleared of skin and ossified. In the field, you can determine the length of the horns by measuring them with the length of the ears, which on average is 13 cm. During the period of shedding the horns, the male can be distinguished by a tuft of hair hanging under the belly around the prepuce, as well as by a more massive and short neck. In females, a tuft of hair closes the urogenital opening and is characterized by its yellow color - such a spot contrasts against the background of a white mirror.

The coloration of individuals of both sexes is similar - adult representatives are one-color, reddish-red in summer with a weakly outlined mirror, grayish and gray-brown in winter with a white or light red mirror. Juveniles are spotted on a rufous background. The coat of roe deer consists of a short and stiff net and a long and soft undercoat. Depending on the habitat, molting begins in March-April, which can last until September-October.

On each leg of the roe deer there are two pairs of hooves - the main (larger) and small lateral hooves, located high above the main ones - the animal relies on them only when walking on loose ground. The traces of males are rounded and blunt, those of females are elongated and pointed, in both cases small.

The age limit for roe deer is 11-12 years, there have been cases when males lived up to 16 years. It is quite difficult to determine the age of an individual from a distance, unless we are talking about a male whose age is “imprinted” on the horns. It can be said with certainty that, in addition to body size, underyearlings are distinguished from adults by a darker color of the head and body in winter fur; in one-year-olds, the legs seem long, the croup is slightly raised at the back, the muzzle is dark, the head is narrow, the long and thin neck is set almost vertically. Two-year-old males look stronger than one-year-olds, but they are still slender and have a pronounced light spot on the nose. Middle-aged males are characterized by a squat body with short legs, a thick and powerful neck, sloping down with age. Elderly individuals look skinny and bony, when walking they hold their neck almost parallel to the ground, their color brightens due to gray hair, in males strongly drooping hair stands out around the prepuce.

Gon, mating and pregnancy.

Rutting in European roe deer begins in July in the western regions of Europe, in August-September in other regions. The mass rut ​​lasts about a month, but individual pairs can be found chasing three or more months after the start of the rut. During this period, ferocity is characteristic of males, which they direct not only at rivals, but also at the future mother of offspring. As a rule, the rut takes place on the site of the male's territory - guided by his sense of smell, he quickly determines the female ready for mating (her estrus lasts 4-5 days) and proceeds to a special marriage ceremony called the rut. The female, chased by the male, begins to run in a circle, gradually narrowing its diameter, and the young individuals do not immediately allow the males to approach them and run very quickly, thereby enraging them - there are times when the rutting male inflicts mortal wounds on the female. When the female gets tired, she interrupts her run in a circle, and lies down right on the path, however, the excited male makes her stand up with blows of his horns, and makes a cage.

The behavior of animals during the rut has a number of important biological features: the male stimulates the female with his pursuit, she simulates it with her fast run; despite the apparent aggressiveness of the male, the female is not afraid of him, but on the contrary, the male is in constant anxiety, fearing to lose her. The male can drive 2-3 females, having fertilized one (mating occurs many times), he drives the next one, and if the number of females in a given area predominates significantly, one male can cover 5-6 females. If one adult female lives on the territory of the male, he can stay with her until the end of the rut, remaining devoted to her.

It is worth noting that the first day of “pursuit” is the most active, in the subsequent the male does not keep the female so actively, although he still does not lag behind her, and goes to rest only when the female is resting. At the same time, males are in constant excitement throughout the rut. They spend a lot of time marking their territory, knocking out “patch patches” in the ground with their hooves, peeling and breaking trees with their horns, they feed little, which is why they significantly lose weight.

An interesting fact in the pregnancy of a roe deer, which lasts 9 months, is the latent period - for almost half the period (4-4.5 months), the fertilized egg practically does not change, but, as it were, is frozen in development, and only in December begins to actively develop. It happens that females that are not fertilized in the summer are fertilized at this time, bypassing the latent period, and bringing offspring at the same time as the roe deer chasing in the summer. In young females, 1 cub is born, in adults, most often two, less often three. They give birth in thickets and thickets, often close to water. The weight of roe deer is not more than 1-1.3 kg.

Roe deer cubs.

Roe deer cubs are born helpless, and can rise to their feet only 4-5 hours after birth. The female takes them away from their birthplace, usually in different directions, and comes to feed and lick them several times a day for the next two weeks, by the end of this period they already double their weight. It is worth noting that from the 5th day of life, roe deer make attempts to eat plant foods. At three months, the cubs constantly stay near the female, thereby creating a family group - this continues until spring. In general, they develop very quickly, and already on the 70th day their weight is a little more than 10 kg.

Fight for territory.

In spring, roe deer males defend the right to own their land, the best of which are most often distributed among old males, equal in strength. During this period, the "owners" of a certain area spend most of their time marking their possessions, repeatedly win their right in collisions with competitors. The territory of a male, on average, occupies an area of ​​7 hectares, divided into a central zone and a peripheral one. The central zone is usually located on the slopes of hills, where there is a dense grass cover - here the male rests and hides from enemies. You can define this zone by a large number of spoons, main paths and visual marks, for example, stripped trees. The peripheral zone is 5-6 times larger than the central one, there are numerous paths along which the male goes from the resting place to the watering place and places of fattening.

The areas occupied by females are weakly isolated and often completely overlap with the area of ​​the male. In summer, the size of the area occupied by females depends on the mobility and age of roe deer, and can reach up to 15 hectares, when the calves begin to follow their mother; and up to 35 hectares when they follow them everywhere.

Roe deer communication.

Intraspecific communication of roe deer occurs in several ways. Firstly, these are signals with the help of smell. On the head in the forehead and on the neck of males, there are sebaceous and sweat glands, significantly enlarged in size - they secrete a resinous odorous substance. When the male rubs against trees and bushes, he leaves this substance on them, which carries important information both for his rivals (this site is occupied) and for females (a sexually mature male lives here). In both males and females, the metatarsal glands (located on the outside of the hind legs) and interdigital glands (located between a pair of main hooves) function, which secrete the secret left by animals on their trail - he gives his relatives complete information about the individual, including him gender, age.

Secondly, roe deer communicate using sounds, the most famous of which is barking. Roe deer bark in the event that they feel anxiety, their barking is single, sometimes the animal barks several times in a row. Roe deer females also emit a whistle when a male approaches them during the rutting season. However, if a person can hear the barking of a roe deer at a distance of 3 km, then only some researchers managed to hear the whistle. Males are characterized by a sound similar to puffing or hissing, he makes it when he pursues a female during the rut and when he detects an opponent. Sometimes females also hiss if they are worried and aggressive.

Thirdly, the sounds of non-vocal origin, made during certain body movements, are of particular importance in the communication of roe deer. For example, hitting the ground with the front feet indicates anxiety; deliberately high and noisy jumps are a warning signal of danger.