Field signs
The characteristic bark of a disturbed roe deer is unique and the apparent lack of a visible tail is a great aid to identification.
Habits
Roe deer prefer broadleaved woodland to conifers, but they can be found in a variety of places such as coppice, scrub, gardens, arable fields and similar habitats. They are usually solitary in summer with males establishing territories between March and September.
Reproduction and life cycle
Bucks usually mate with females within their territory in July/August. Gestation is around 10 months, including five months of embryonic diapause until December. One or two young (fawns) are born in late May or early June, and females (does) over a wide area may synchronise their births to within a few days of each other. Roe deer may live up to six years in the wild, although this varies with habitat quality and population density.
Distribution, status and conservation
Roe deer mainly occur on the Kent, Sussex and Surrey borders. However, records from north-west Kent and the south-east London border areas exist. There is little evidence of breeding, and the other scattered records of roe deer throughout the county are probably wandering males. However, the distribution records may be misleading as the species could be missed when at low density in the amount of woodland and similar habitat found in Kent.
Within Kent, it is expected that roe deer are likely to increase in number considerably over the next few decades.
In England there is an annual closed season for shooting male roe deer from 1st November to 31st March, and females from 1st April to 31st October.
