Are you ready to let out your wild side this bank holiday? We have Stansted Roe deer venison, rabbit and wood pigeon that have all been feasting on the new leaf, herbs and pastures of the South Downs. They are all completely wild, and it’s a great time of year as the variety in their diet affects the taste.
The roe deer are much smaller than the fallow, with the average buck no more than 75cm at the shoulder. This makes it rather tricky to hunt, especially when the grass is high and the bramble and bracken are already in leaf. Still, it’s well worth taking advantage when you can, as roe deer venison is amongst the most tasty of all venison.
There are increasing number of rabbits this year at Stansted, so hopefully we can start seeing a consistent supply again. We don’t have much wood pigeon as the mild winter has resulted in an abundance of food for them, so they are not concentrating on any one crop. This makes it very difficult to shoot them compared with in the winter months when they congregate in huge numbers on winter wheat or beechmast.
Still, it’s great to have a good variety of game at this time of year.