Ben Martill often watches deer roam outside his window. “In the past few years, there have been loads of them,” he says. But Ben does not live in a forest. He lives in a block of flats on a busy road in Horsham, West Sussex. Deer now appear on the main streets and traffic islands at night.
“There are herds running up Crawley Road,” he adds. “Loads congregate at night on the traffic island of the bypass.”
Ben, 33, works as a gardener. Some of his customers have faced deer breaking fences and stripping tree bark. He has also had near misses while driving. “I clipped one, poor thing. It darted off into the bushes,” he recalls.
These encounters are becoming more common, bringing serious economic, social, and environmental consequences.
Deer Numbers Soar Across the Country
Deer populations have risen sharply over the last 40 years. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, culling dropped significantly, and experts say numbers are now out of control. Jonathan Spencer, former head of planning and environment at Forest Enterprise, warns the situation has worsened.
No one knows the exact number of deer in Britain. The Forestry Commission and the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) estimate up to two million, compared with 450,000 in the 1970s.
The rising population affects drivers, farmers, businesses, wildlife, and the natural landscape. Forestry and Land Scotland estimated that in 2021 deer caused £3 million in damage annually to young trees in Scotland alone.
Lucy Manthorpe manages a 400-acre organic farm in Suffolk. Deer damage cost her more than £10,000 a year on three fields. She now employs a full-time worker dedicated to culling deer. “The deer problem is costing us as a country,” she argues.
Farmers and landowners report losses reaching tens of thousands of pounds. Some high-value crops have lost as much as £1 million annually. The government now considers tackling deer numbers a priority. In 2022, Defra stated: “We need to do more to sustainably manage deer.”
From Car Crashes to Woodland Damage
Britain offers ideal conditions for deer: mild climate, open countryside, no apex predators, and few hunters. The Country Food Trust reports that around 350,000 deer are removed annually through hunting and culling. Still, populations continue to rise. Parliament heard in 2023 that up to 750,000 deer may need culling each year to stabilize numbers.
Many people encounter deer on roads. The AA estimates up to 74,000 deer are killed or injured on UK roads each year, causing hundreds of human injuries and occasional fatalities. In October, a 63-year-old motorcyclist in Oxfordshire died after hitting a deer.
Deer also devastate woodland. Natural regrowth of trees fails in areas with high deer density, according to Alison Field, president of the Royal Forestry Society. “The pressure of the deer now has become so great that we’ve lost the balance out of our landscape,” she says.
Academic studies warn that around half of the UK’s growing deer population must be culled annually to protect woodlands and birdlife. Deer also damage gardens and farms year-round, trampling crops in spring and nibbling them before harvest.
How Britain’s Deer Population Exploded
Britain has hosted deer for thousands of years, but only red and roe deer are native. Fallow deer arrived with the Romans, while sika, Chinese water deer, and muntjac arrived in the 19th century. Norman nobles expanded deer populations in private parks.
Jonathan Spencer explains that after World War One, many estates fell into disrepair. Park boundaries collapsed, and deer wandered freely. The 1963 Deer Act later restricted culling and hunting seasons, but by the 1990s deer had spread widely. Spencer notes fewer people now hunt deer for food, which also contributes to population growth.
Legally, deer belong to no one. They are classified as res nullius, leaving responsibility to individual landowners.
Debates Over Controlling Deer
Experts agree reducing deer numbers could help farmers, wildlife, and communities. Animal rights groups favor non-lethal methods such as contraceptive darting or improved fencing. The British Deer Society warns that these methods are difficult and costly at scale. Fencing can block other wildlife and requires constant maintenance.
Some rewilding projects in Scotland suggest reintroducing apex predators like lynx, wolves, or even brown bears to control deer naturally. Environmental campaigner George Monbiot supports wolves and lynx to manage populations. Trees for Life, a Scottish rewilding estate, says lynx could bring ecological and social benefits.
Europe has successfully reintroduced lynx and wolves in countries like Italy, Switzerland, and France. Yellowstone National Park in the U.S. reintroduced wolves in 1995, restoring forests and balancing elk numbers.
Dr Mike Daniel from the University of the Highlands and Islands says apex predators could thrive in the UK. But farmers and local communities would likely oppose these plans. Tim Bonner of the Countryside Alliance argues wolves would harm livestock farmers, while lynx predation would only reduce deer slightly. Dr Daniel admits predators cannot fully solve the problem.
Using Deer as a Resource
Jonathan Spencer calls for “hard-hearted” approaches such as rounding up and shooting deer in enclosures to protect biodiversity. The Deer Act 1991 allows landowners to cull deer under regulated conditions.
Experts suggest eating more venison as a sustainable option. Charles Smith-Jones from the British Deer Society says deer are a natural resource. Venison is healthier than beef, lower in saturated fat, and higher in nutrients. Wild venison also has lower carbon emissions than farmed meat. Roadkill, however, carries health risks.
Around 70% of deer culling in Britain is done by private individuals, not professional rangers. Elisa Allen from Peta urges humane methods instead. She stresses that deer do not wish to be eaten and calls for ethical population control.
Nature Regains Control
Landowners manage deer populations independently, creating inconsistencies. A neighbor’s decision not to control deer can undo nearby management efforts. Scotland illustrates this challenge, with large deer-stalking estates and rewilding projects.
New Scottish legislation aims to give authorities more powers to manage deer in areas threatened by climate and biodiversity crises. Scottish Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie promotes partnerships between land managers and deer management groups.
England and Wales also explore deer management strategies, though official conclusions remain unpublished. In Northern Ireland, authorities review deer damage annually.
Lucy Manthorpe’s farm shows the positive impact of active deer management. Areas once barren now bloom with oxlips and orchids. Rare trees are growing again, and moths and breeding birds have returned.
“The deer are not deciding what’s going to happen anymore,” she says. “Nature is deciding.”
