In the world of deer management, we become accustomed to dealing with the big, visible challenges, fallow herds overrunning arable land, roe pressuring sensitive woodland regeneration, or muntjac browsing through coppice and hedgerows. These are the problems most landowners see, and the ones that demand obvious action. But there is another, quieter threat moving across our landscapes: ticks. Unlike deer, you won’t always spot them until it’s too late, and by then the damage may already be done.
My recent experience brought this into sharp focus. Despite years of working outdoors, despite knowing the risks, despite routinely checking myself after long days in the woods, one bite was all it took to change things. Within 48 hours I had the characteristic bulls-eye rash. I knew what it was. I went straight onto antibiotics. For a while I thought I had caught it early enough. Two weeks later, I was in hospital with a severe reaction, multiple blood tests, and an abrupt reminder of just how insidious Lyme disease can be.
This article isn’t about alarmism. It’s about realism. Ticks are part of the landscape we work in. Lyme disease is no longer rare, and as deer numbers rise across Sussex and the wider South East, the risk only grows. If we are serious about professional standards in deer management, forestry, and estate work, then education on ticks and disease prevention is as important as marksmanship, safety, or habitat management.
What Exactly Are Ticks?
Ticks are small arachnids, relatives of spiders and mites, that feed on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles. In the UK, the most common species is the sheep tick (Ixodes ricinus), though deer ticks and hedgehog ticks are also present. They go largely unnoticed in the public imagination because they are small, often no bigger than a sesame seed, and because they attach silently. They do not buzz like mosquitoes or leave an immediate sting.
The tick’s life cycle makes it a particularly persistent problem. Over several years, it moves through four stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. At each stage, it requires a blood meal to progress. Deer play a critical role here, acting as “reproductive hosts” for adult ticks. A single deer can carry thousands. When numbers of deer swell, as they have dramatically across much of the South East , so too do the local tick populations. This is why unmanaged or overpopulated deer herds are not just an ecological or silvicultural issue, but a public health one too.
Ticks thrive in woodland, scrub, and rough grassland habitats, particularly where the ground layer is humid and shaded. Bracken, bramble, and long grass provide ideal cover. Anyone working in such environments; foresters, deer managers, gamekeepers, farmers is at risk. But increasingly, so too are walkers, cyclists, and dog owners.
The Link Between Ticks and Lyme Disease
Ticks are not inherently dangerous. It is what they can carry that matters. In the UK, the primary concern is Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium responsible for Lyme disease. Not every tick is infected, but enough are that every bite carries risk. Once attached, a tick can take several hours before transmitting the bacteria. That is why early detection and removal are so critical.
Lyme disease itself is a multi-system illness. In its early stages, it often presents with the classic bulls-eye rash, a circular red mark that expands from the bite site. But not everyone develops this rash, and some only notice flu-like symptoms: fatigue, headache, muscle aches, fever. Left untreated, the disease can progress to far more serious complications: joint inflammation, neurological problems, even heart conditions. Chronic Lyme disease is deeply debilitating, sometimes life-altering.
What complicates matters is that symptoms can be delayed or mistaken for other conditions. This is why awareness is essential. For professionals who spend hundreds of hours in tick-rich environments, Lyme disease is an occupational hazard.
My Personal Experience
I had always taken ticks seriously. I knew the guidance: wear long sleeves, tuck trousers into boots, use repellents, check daily. Over the years I have removed more ticks from myself than I can count. Most were caught early, no issue. But this one was different, and I wasn't even out on the deer.
The bite appeared routine enough, but within 48 hours the tell-tale rash spread. I acted quickly, straight to the GP, straight onto antibiotics. For the first week I felt confident. I believed I had caught it early, dealt with it responsibly, moved on. Then, around day 8 of the 21-day course, my body reacted violently. Fever, muscle weakness, abdominal pain. I ended up in Worthing Hospital, where the staff were exemplary in their approach. A complete blood screen was taken, inflammatory markers checked, and my treatment plan was adapted.
It was humbling. I like to think of myself as resilient. Years in the field, former military background, countless long nights out in all conditions, you build a sense that you can handle things. But Lyme disease does not respect resilience. It taught me that vigilance must be daily, that complacency is punished, and that proactive healthcare is as much a responsibility as safe rifle handling.
Signs of Deer Presence, Signs of Tick Presence
When we assess a woodland for deer, we look for tracks, fraying, browse lines, and faecal matter. But increasingly, ticks themselves are part of the equation. Areas of heavy deer traffic often coincide with tick hotspots. Bedding areas in bracken, rides with thick verge growth, woodland edge habitats where roe linger, all carry heightened risk.
It is worth landowners and recreational stalkers alike noting that tick populations build silently. You don’t hear them, you don’t see them until one is crawling across your hand. Yet every unmanaged fallow herd, every artificially high deer density, increases the number of hosts sustaining those populations. In other words, deer management and tick management are inextricably linked.
Practical Prevention in the Field
The first line of defence is personal vigilance. That means:
Wearing light-coloured clothing to spot ticks more easily.
Keeping trousers tucked into boots.
Using proven repellents (DEET-based or permethrin-treated clothing).
Conducting full-body checks after every outing.
But prevention must also be systemic. For estates, that means keeping rides open and vegetation cut back to reduce tick habitat. For deer managers, it means ensuring deer numbers are maintained at sustainable levels. For organisations, it means embedding tick awareness into health and safety policies, particularly where public access is encouraged.
It is easy to underestimate ticks. A single bite can seem trivial. But as my experience shows, the cost of ignoring them is far higher.
Removal and First Aid
If you find a tick attached, the key is calm, correct removal. Use a proper tick remover, not fingers, not matches, not Vaseline. The aim is to extract the tick intact, mouthparts and all, without squeezing its body. Once removed, clean the area, record the date, and monitor for symptoms.
Every estate should consider having tick removers in first aid kits. Every deer manager should carry one as routinely as a knife or spare gloves. It is such a small tool, but it can prevent weeks or months of illness.
Wider Public Health Implications
Lyme disease is no longer a fringe condition. Public Health England reports thousands of new cases annually, with many more likely unreported or misdiagnosed. As access to the countryside increases, so too does exposure. For local authorities, NGOs, and estate managers, this raises a serious duty of care. Clear signage in known hotspots, public education campaigns, and collaboration with deer managers are all part of the solution.
What is striking is how often these issues intersect with deer numbers. Where fallow populations are high and uncontrolled, tick numbers rise. Where roe densities in regenerating woodland are not managed, tick numbers rise. The ecological balance has direct health consequences.
Deer Management and Tick Control
Let’s be clear: culling deer does not eradicate ticks. But it does reduce the carrying capacity of the landscape. Where deer populations are kept within sustainable limits, tick numbers fall. Where deer explode unchecked, ticks thrive.
This is where professional deer management becomes not just an ecological service, but a public health one. It is one more reason why we argue for properly funded, professionalised deer management across Sussex and the South East. Recreational effort alone cannot keep pace with current fallow expansion. Without resourcing the professionals on the ground, tick-borne disease will continue to rise.
The Human Factor: Long Days, Quiet Risks
What makes ticks particularly insidious is their timing. After a long 3am start, after dragging out fallow bucks across tough terrain, after the fatigue of extraction and larder work, the last thing on your mind is a microscopic parasite. Yet that is precisely when discipline is needed most. A two-minute check before bed may feel like nothing. It may feel unnecessary. But it may save you weeks in hospital.
For farmers dealing with crop damage, for foresters battling regeneration losses, for gamekeepers balancing sporting income, ticks may seem like a secondary issue. But Lyme disease strikes landowners, stalkers, beaters, dog handlers, even paying guests. Awareness and prevention must be embedded into every level of estate work.
Credit Where It’s Due
I cannot write this without acknowledging the staff at Worthing Hospital. Their proactive, thorough, and responsible approach prevented what could have been a much worse outcome. Blood screens, CRP levels, ferritin all checked. Antibiotics adapted. Close monitoring provided. It was a reminder that while much of our work is solitary, health is a shared responsibility. The professionals in the NHS are part of that wider team, and we owe them recognition.
Final Thoughts
Ticks are not going away. If anything, their numbers are likely to rise alongside deer. Climate change is extending their active season. Warmer winters mean higher survival rates. The public is spending more time outdoors than ever. All of this points in one direction: increased exposure, increased risk.
For deer managers, foresters, and landowners in Sussex, the lesson is simple. Take ticks seriously. Build prevention into your daily practice. Manage deer populations responsibly. Carry the tools you need. And check yourself every single day.
I made the mistake of thinking that because I was fit, healthy, and experienced, I was safe. The truth is, none of us are immune. The only safety lies in vigilance.
