So whenever you come, be sure to come with open eyes, and go with a sense of natural beauty that Wester Ross has to offer. Cervus elaphus During the winter months Red Deer herds come down from the higher elevations on the mountain sides to seek shelter and food at lower levels, so it is always a time when they can be seen most easily. To reduce the mortality rate amongst the Deer populations many Estates feed the deer, especially when winter conditions are severe. It is mainly stags that take advantage to this source of food. During the autumn rut stags expend a great deal of energy challenging one another, keeping the harems that the fittest few have managed to win away from their competitors and serving the hinds.
Hinds tend to stay away from feeding areas provided by humans in winter.
This is largely because they are culled right through to February. This makes them very nervous, favouring low level areas where they are less likely to come into contact with humans. The down side to their migration to the glen floors is that they often cross roads or even browse along the road sides, particularly at night, making them vulnerable to becoming victims of collisions with cars. There have been a number of pilot projects which have tested various gadgets that were designed to keep deer away from roads. The gadget that appears to work better than most is the roadside reflector.