The cold snap and deep lying snow across much of upland Scotland will be taking its toll on our wild deer.
Richard Cooke, Chairman, the Association of Deer Management Groups, says:
“For the first time in some years we are experiencing a continuous and ongoing period of full snow cover.
“For the welfare of our wild red deer we are urging the public to give them a wide berth and leave them undisturbed. When the snow freezes deer have difficulty in digging down to find vegetation and this can lead to starvation and mortalities particularly amongst last year’s calves and stags depleted after the autumn rut.
“What we can all do to help is minimise disturbance as this depletes their reserves further.
“Whilst public access should be comparatively lower due to lockdown and the Scottish Government’s Covid-19 guidelines for recreation those who do head to the hills should do everything they can to avoid disturbing the deer.”