SCOTTISH DEER
Deer are an iconic part of Scotland’s landscapes, with four main species present: red, roe, fallow, and sika. Red deer, the largest, dominate upland moors and glens, while roe deer thrive in lowland woods and farmland. Fallow and sika, introduced species, occur in scattered or expanding populations. Deer play important ecological and cultural roles, but high numbers can damage young trees, crops, and biodiversity, and increase road collisions. Careful, evidence-led management—through habitat design, fencing, and regulated culling—balances conservation, forestry, farming, and rural economies, while ensuring the long-term health of Scotland’s wild deer populations.
In Perthshire we have three of the four species present - roe, red and fallow.
Scottish Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus)
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Status: Native and widespread in Scotland.
Size: 60–75 cm at shoulder; 15–30 kg.
Lifespan: 3–7 years (rarely up to 10).
Diet: Buds, herbs, bramble, heather, young shoots.
Activity: Mostly dawn/dusk, often solitary.
Antlers: Bucks only; shed in autumn, regrow over winter.
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Identification: Reddish-brown in summer, grey in winter; white rump patch; short face and dark eyes; small upright antlers.
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Breeding: Rut July–Aug; fawns born May–June after delayed implantation.
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Impacts: High numbers can damage young trees, crops and increase vehicle collisions.
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Signs: Small neat tracks, pellet droppings, frayed saplings, rut scrapes.
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Hunting season: Males year-round, females from 21st October to 31st March.
Scottish Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)
Staus: Native to Scotland, common in Highlands, expanding into lowlands.
Size: Stags 100–190 kg, hinds 70–120 kg; shoulder 90–120 cm.
Lifespan: Typically 10–14 years (rarely up to 20).
Diet: Grasses, sedges, heather, tree shoots, farm crops.
Activity: Graze in herds, often open hill or moorland; also woodland edge.
Antlers: Stags only; large branching antlers, cast in spring, regrow in velvet, cleaned by late summer.
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Identification: Large reddish-brown body (greyer in winter); pale rump patch, short tail; stags with mane and prominent antlers.
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Breeding: Rut September–October; roaring stags defend harems; calves born May–June.
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Impacts: Heavy grazing pressures habitats, limits woodland regeneration, damages crops, and increases road collision risk.
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Signs: Large slots (7–9 cm), groups of pellets, bark stripping, wallows, roaring in rut.
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Hunting season: Males year-round, females from 21st October to 15th of February
Fallow Deer (Dama dama)
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Status: Introduced species; established in scattered areas of Scotland (not native).
Size: Bucks 60–100 kg, does 35–55 kg; shoulder 75–95 cm.
Lifespan: 8–12 years in the wild (occasionally longer).
Diet: Mixed feeder—grasses, herbs, crops, young woodland browse.
Activity: Herd-forming; active dawn/dusk, often in parkland or mixed farmland/woodland.
Antlers: Bucks only; broad, flattened (palmate) antlers; cast in April–May, regrown by late summer.
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Identification: Variable coat—commonest is chestnut with white spots in summer, grey-brown in winter; distinct white rump with black edging and long tail—slender build, smaller than red, larger than roe.
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Breeding: Rut in October; bucks grunt and defend rutting stands; fawns are born in June.
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Impacts: Can heavily graze crops and woodland; may hybridise with other populations; road accidents are a concern.
Signs: Medium-sized slots (~5–6 cm); pellet groups; tree fraying and buck scrapes in rut.
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Hunting season: Males year-round, females from 21st October to 15th of February