Red Deer Tracks
Three species of deer are common in Thetford Forest - Red Deer, Roe Deer, and the little Muntjac. The local population of red deer that first appeared in the forest, were believed to be descended from escaped cart deer - red deer that were kept in captivity, and released for the Thetford Chase, where they would be hunted down - but then rounded up and returned to captivity once the sport had been had. Apparently, some deer were not caught - but this would be tolerated, as sometimes the deerhounds would pick up the scent of one of the escapees, when they failed to track the freshly released quarry. It seems that a number of these feral cart deer remained at large when the chase was abandoned, and the old warrens were afforested.
Roe deer were also reintroduced to the area, and later still, muntjacs appeared. There are also some fallow deer in Kings Forest, and possibly a few sika deer, and Chinese Water deer may be lurking around. The deer population in Thetford Forest has boomed in recent years to an estimated 10,000 heads. Culls are held regularly, and deer stalking organised.
The red deer (Cervus elaphus) of Thetford Forest are reputed to be some of the finest and heaviest in the British Isles, and are the largest wild land mammals in Britain. I frequently see tracks like these.
