Roe deer

Roe deer are among the largest animals that live in our forests. We rarely see them, but they are quite common. It is estimated that around 2.5 million roe deer live in Germany. They usually leave their hiding places only at dusk to look for food. As they do, they constantly try to pick up sounds and smells. Although they cannot see well, they have excellent hearing and a keen sense of smell.

Adult roe deer can weigh up to 30 kg. They are about 140 cm long and 60 to 90 cm tall at the shoulder. They can live for about 15 years. Roe deer are herbivores. They like herbs, grasses, leaves, shoots, buds, and wild and cultivated fruits. The way they crop grass and herbs is called “grazing.” Roe deer are ruminants. Once they have found enough food, they lie down and chew it again, just like cattle, although they are not related to them at all.

Although they are shy, roe deer have adapted to living alongside people. In summer, for example, they like to spend time in rapeseed and corn fields. Here they find plenty to eat while staying hidden from predators.

A doe is a female roe deer. The male is called a roebuck. Roebucks are easy to identify by their antlers. Hunters usually call a roe deer's antlers a rack. Females have no antlers. The roebuck's antlers are made of the same material as its bones. They consist of two beams, which grow to about 15 to 20 cm long. A mature buck usually has six points on its antlers, with three tines on each beam. In autumn, the roebuck sheds its antlers. A new set immediately begins to grow. In spring, the buck rubs the skin off his new antlers on small trees. This behavior is called "fraying."

In summer, roe deer have reddish-brown coats. In September or October, they grow a greyish-brown winter coat. It is thicker than their summer coat, and the individual hairs are longer. This protects the animals well from the winter cold. Roe deer have a white patch on their hindquarters called a “mirror.”

Roe deer mate in late July and August. The buck drives other bucks out of his territory through fierce fights. In May or June of the following year, the females give birth to 1 to 3 fawns. Young roe deer are called fawns. They are even more timid than adult roe deer. At birth, fawns weigh about 1 kg. During the first few days of their lives, the mother visits them only to nurse them. She stays some distance away to distract predators. Meanwhile, the fawns lie motionless in the grass or leaves. They rarely venture into the open. They are too small to defend themselves and not yet able to run away quickly. They follow their mother only after a week. After 3 months, they are old enough to find food for themselves. For the first three months of their lives, fawns have “Bambi spots,” which help camouflage them. Once they have grown up, they live together with several female roe deer. These family groups are called herds. Bucks keep apart from them. In winter, several herds often join together, making it easier for the animals to find food.

In the past, roe deer had many natural enemies. Wolves, lynxes, golden eagles and bears hunted them. But wolves, lynxes and golden eagles are now rare here, and bears have disappeared altogether. Foxes and wild boars can also be dangerous to young fawns. Many roe deer are injured or killed by cars and trucks on the roads today. Some also fall victim to dogs that are allowed to roam and hunt. Fawns are sometimes caught by mowing machines when they hide in the grass in a meadow. Nevertheless, there are still many roe deer here. If there are too many, they can damage forests because they like to nibble on young tree shoots and bark. New plantings in forests are therefore often protected by fences. Roe deer are hunted by hunters, who must observe the closed seasons. For example, female roe deer may only be shot from 1 September to 31 January. The rest of the year they are protected, as they may be pregnant or caring for their young.