Roe Deer

You don't have to go far from Budapest to see Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus). People often ask me what the deer by the motorway are... Roe are far more widespread and easier to observe than Red Deer here. Indeed, from the Baltic Sea to the Balkans the herds of deer sitting right out in the middle of large crop fields will invariably be Roe Deer. Such herds are usually composed of does, juveniles, fawns and the odd buck, and may number dozens if not a 100 animals. Smaller groups of bachelors and young females are also formed. Roe are a small deer - the largest stand 60cm or so at the shoulder – with an unspotted reddish-brown coat in summer and a darker coat in winter. They have an attractive face with a black nose, a flashy white backside and tiny tail. For much of the year bucks – and sometimes does - have small antlers with two or three prongs which grow through the winter, lose their velvet in spring and are shed in the late autumn after the rut. Does often have twin fawns which are darker than adults and spotted and striped white.