The Baron

Through the dense mist he stood much as he did last year when I named him Baron of Blacka. He is largely unknown to the media so not worried by fears of competition from the 'Beast of Bushy' down in the over-populated south, and he may never have heard of the Emperor of Exmoor (deceased). These stag stories in the autumn papers will probably now become a regular seasonal feature along with the World Conker Championships.

There were hinds and accompanying young nearby and further off a rival stag moved away quickly as we walked past. Unlike the Bushy situation this is a landscape fit for wild animals largely self-regenerated over many years and all the better for that. Though we know people who would like to be able to say it's this way because man made it so. The pity of it all is that year by year it is returning to a more managed state. It will take some explaining away, the story of this year. The deer who were so much in residence all last year and the early part of this have been marginalised to the extent of being rarely seen at all from the moment that the farm animals arrived. Even in the present season, normally of most activity, you will have been lucky to see them at all and then most likely in the woods and the woodland edges. Yet months ago we were seeing herds of some size browsing where ever since the cattle have been in boring and extravagatingly defecating occupation. An alternative explanation would have to relate to their avoiding people on the assumption that they were hiding up during the day and coming out at night. There's always been an element of that of course but I'm not aware of a huge increase in numbers of visitors here which seem roughly comparable with the last two years. Hinds have been always more secretive with good cause and they have been present all year well hidden in the dense rewilded areas where young can be safer than anywhere in the whole region. That is why the stags are now more in evidence. Let's hope the farm livestock are taken off soon to allow the deer to reclaim the natural landscape that is their heritage.