Around 100,000 deer are killed in Scotland every year, the vast majority of them red deer. Some are killed on traditional sporting estates, where for generations southerners and City types have come, keen to shoot a monarch of the glen. But fewer dream of shooting the hinds – the most effective way of arresting population growth – and so the responsibility falls to the owners. Por lo demás, una lectura muy amena, incluso cuando el autor se pone algo más técnico, con capítulos breves que incluyen fotografías preciosas que realizó en esos años. Assert exactly what you want to happen in the future. This should be a clear and achievable objective.

The conservation lobby are the most vociferous proponents of the culls. Those concerned with woodland and wild flowers argue for an all-out war, pointing to research from the University of East Anglia that mooted a mass cull of 50–60% of all deer in the UK. Wildlife foundations find themselves calling for the deaths of tens of thousands of wild animals. Adapted with permission of the publisher from the book Deer Man written by Geoffroy Delorme and published by Greystone Books in September 2022. Available wherever books are sold. Geoffroy's first language is French and we decided that an excerpt would be the best way to introduce people to his riveting book, translated by Shaun Whiteside. Many thanks to Greystone Books. But the controversy speaks of a deep unease about mass killing among many of those who earn their living on the hill. The gamekeepers protesting at Glenfeshie were not parading their “respect” for their quarry for effect. A specialised strand of folk ethics has grown up among stalkers: the rules are based on perceived sportsmanship, on fairness, on tradition. To them, flying in by helicopter simply feels wrong, like cheating. So does leaving carcasses to rot. So does taking too many in one go. At this stage of my adventure, I’m still returning to civilisation a few times a month. The processed foods that I find in the family fridge are just as appetising as before, but I find them increasingly difficult to digest. I take a hot shower, sleep for a few hours in my childhood bed and leave before daybreak. I avoid my parents, who disapprove of my new man-of-the-woods lifestyle and have no qualms about saying so. Do I wash my clothes? No. I don’t want to bring the smells of the world of human beings into the forest. It would make my friends extremely nervous.En su mochila encontramos: latas de conserva, ropa de abrigo, agua potable, las herramientas necesarias para sobrevivir en un medio hostil y, por supuesto, una cámara. Durante las primeras excursiones me preguntaba cómo había sobrevivido, era lo que más interés me suscitaba. La falta de alimento, el sueño, la hipotermia en épocas frías... Geoffroy entendió su expedición como un largo aprendizaje, bajaba al pueblo en épocas de escasez y le llevó años adquirir los conocimientos necesarios para sobrevivir en el bosque.

Maybe could have forgiven all the “humans are poison” vitriol if he’d given more context other than deforestation is bad and I don’t like how much sugar people eat but, like, we know this and not all of us signed up for things being this way? Humans are nature too and self-righteousness isn’t the best way to go about reminding others of that, imo. The breeding season, or the rut, occurs from the end of September to November. Stags return to the hind’s home range and compete for them by engaging in elaborate displays of dominance including roaring, parallel walks, and fighting. Serious injury and death can result from fighting but this only occurs between stags of similar size that cannot assess dominance by any of the other means. The dominant stag then ensures exclusive mating with the hinds. What was animal is now object. I observe my reactions as if from above, lifting and weighing each thought as it comes to me, alert for squeamishness. There is some. But not as much, perhaps, as I expected. Altogether, more than 500 deer were slaughtered. The cull – the first state intervention on a private estate – created an enormous controversy. Animal rights campaigners accused the commission of acting illegally. Local gamekeepers staged a mass protest against the “carnage”, which, they said, went against “our way of life, our morals, our beliefs … and above all our respect for the deer”. Neighbouring landowners and local residents took to the airwaves to voice their disapproval. In woodland red deer are largely solitary or occur as mother and calf groups. On open ground, larger single sex groups assemble, only mixing during the rut. In the Highlands of Scotland, large groups may persist for most of the year. Red deer are active throughout the 24 hour period but make more use of open spaces during the hours of darkness in populations experiencing frequent disturbance. Peak times of activity are at dawn and dusk. In the Highlands of Scotland red deer use the open hills during the day and descend to lower ground during the night.

Support our work

Nu we met zijn allen zitten bibberen binnenskamers ten gevolge van de energiecrisis kunnen we ons iets beter voorstellen hoe het moet zijn om buiten te slapen. En dan nog. After a while they slow to a stop and we bunch together. Storm catches my eye and points hammily beyond the boulder he is using as a windbreak. I nod, coming to rest at his feet, sinking my hands into long dead grass as if it were hair. I wait a beat, then lift my head, bringing my eyes above the stone parapet. If you love nature writing, and unusual and fascinating stories, you will enjoy Deer Man. Thank you to Greystone Books for the advanced copy. One afternoon, Chévi and I are walking in a grove under the branches of a magnificent birch. Chévi lies down. The treetops dance slightly in a warm south wind. I lie down on a bed of ferns and contemplate the translucent tangle of emerald foliage. We stay there a long time. At sunset we get up, still drowsy. As we walk, I allow myself to be filled by the warm smells that have accumulated during the day; the honeyed aroma of the grasses makes my head spin. Nightjars flit nervously overhead, in search of insects, breaking the monotony with their very particular call, like the purring of a cat. A few moments later, we pause in the middle of the oak wood, where a male tawny owl is hooting loudly. A female joins in a duet that makes the darkness ring. The full moon casts its pale light on the undergrowth. I feel the roots moving under my feet. I hear the trunks creak like rigging when a zephyr stirs the canopy. The astonishing, true account of one man's quest to immerse himself in nature and live with wild deer for seven years.