Social behaviour of roe deer at winter feeding stations

Abstract

The behaviour of roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus) at winter feeding stations was studied during the three winters of 1971 to 1973. Four groups were studied, three of which were kept in a 14-ha enclosure, while the fourth group consisted of free-ranging animals. The animals were fed a special wildlife feed and hay was also available to the enclosed deer. Special emphasis was laid upon the occurrence and type of hierarchies, the relationships between social rank and utilization of supplemental food, activity patterns at the feeding stations and types and frequencies of aggressive encounters. The study indicates that winter groups of roe deer are socially organized according to a hierarchical system of an almost linear type. The number of aggressive encounters was reduced and the feeding time increased when the roe deer had access to two or three sources of preferred food instead of one. The study did not reveal any relationship between the animals' social status and their utilization of supplemental food.