Roe Deer in Belgium: Where to See Them and How to Recognise Them?

It is early in the morning and the mist still hangs over the field. At the edge of the forest, a slender, red-brown animal stands still and watches. A second later it bounds away, a white patch disappearing between the trees. If you walk in the Belgian forest regularly, you have a good chance of having seen a roe deer already. Pull on your Mist Crown Hoodie, with a deer in the morning mist, and discover how to recognise a roe deer, how it lives and where you have the best chance of seeing one.

How do you recognise a roe deer?

The roe deer is the smallest deer living in the wild in Belgium.

• Size: an adult roe deer stands about 65 cm tall at the shoulder and weighs around 20 to 25 kg. Its tail is barely 2 to 4 cm long.
• Coat: red-brown to sandy yellow in summer, greyish brown and thicker in winter. The roe deer has a black nose and a white chin.
• The mirror: there is a white patch on its rear, the mirror. It stands out especially in winter. When a roe deer runs off, you often see only that white patch bounding away.
• Antlers: only the buck has antlers. They are small, up to about 25 cm, usually with two or three points per beam. The doe has no antlers.

The antlers grow in winter

A roe deer's antler cycle differs from that of the red deer. The buck sheds its antlers in autumn, and new ones grow through the winter. The new antlers are first covered in a soft, furry skin, the velvet. Between March and June the buck rubs the velvet off against young saplings.

Roe deer, fallow deer or red deer?

The red deer is much larger, and the bucks have big, branched antlers. In Belgium you mainly see them in the Ardennes, where the deer rut in autumn is a spectacle. The fallow deer has a spotted coat and palmate antlers. A roe deer is smaller, more graceful and has short, pointed antlers.

How do roe deer live?

• Alone or in small groups: in summer roe deer live mostly alone, or as a doe with her young. In winter they form small groups, known as sprongs.
• Active at dusk: roe deer are most active at sunrise and sunset.
• Selective eaters: they pick out the tastiest bites: blackberries, berries, buds, twigs and young shoots.
• Lifespan: in the wild a roe deer usually lives to 7 or 8 years old.
• Sound: when startled, a roe deer sometimes gives a loud, barking call.

The roe deer has a secret: embryonic diapause

The rut, the mating season, takes place in July and August. Yet the young are only born in May or June of the following year. This is because of embryonic diapause: after fertilisation, the embryo does not grow for months. It only starts to develop properly at the end of December. In this respect the roe deer is unique among hoofed animals.

A doe often gives birth to twins. At birth the fawns weigh about 1.3 to 2.3 kg and have white spots, which disappear after a few months.

Where and when do you see roe deer?

Roe deer adapt well to human presence. You see them not only deep in the forest, but also at forest edges, field edges and in meadows close to the woods. They even live on the outskirts of cities.

Best time: early in the morning and at dusk. In winter you see them more often, because the trees are bare and they gather in small groups on open fields.

Some good places:

• Kalmthoutse Heide cross-border park, where there is even a walking route named after the roe deer;
• the Sonian Forest, although the number of roe deer there has stabilised at a lower level since 2014;
• the Drongengoed forest near Aalter and other large forests in Flanders;
• the forests of the Ardennes.

The number of roe deer in Flanders has increased strongly over the past twenty years. Your chance of seeing one is therefore greater than it used to be.

An early morning at the forest edge is fresh. The Elk Meadow Sweatshirt, with a deer in an open meadow, keeps you warm while you wait.

Tips for spotting roe deer

1. Go early or late: the first and last hours of the day are the best.
2. Walk quietly and stay on the paths.
3. Mind the wind: roe deer can smell you from far away. Walk with the wind in your face.
4. Bring binoculars, so you can keep your distance. And do not forget your bearings: with the Trail Compass Sweatshirt, with a compass in warm earth tones, you are ready for the forest edge.
5. Keep your dog at home or on a lead. Also read our article on hiking with your dog in the forest.

Roe deer on the road

With more roe deer, there are also more collisions. According to the vzw Zweethonden, around one hundred collisions with roe deer were recorded in Flanders in 2025, compared with about twenty in 2022. The real number is higher, because many collisions are not reported.

When to take extra care?

• In May: the adults chase last year's young roe deer away and they go looking for their own territory. They often cross unexpectedly.
• In summer: during the rut, roe deer pay less attention.
• At dusk: this is when they are most active.

What do you do after a collision?

1. Stop in a safe place and switch on your hazard lights and warning triangle.
2. Call the police.
3. Do not approach the animal: an injured roe deer can react unexpectedly or jump up again.
4. Leave it to the specialists. The Flemish Zweethonden Group goes out around 250 times a year, day and night, to track down injured animals.

Found a fawn?

In May and June you may come across a fawn lying alone in the grass. It looks abandoned, but it almost never is. The mother deliberately leaves her young behind and comes back to nurse it.

• Do not touch it and certainly do not take it with you.
• Walk away calmly and keep your dog on a lead.
• If you really are unsure, for example because it seems injured, call a wildlife rescue centre.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a roe deer and a deer?

A roe deer is also a deer, but the smallest one in Belgium. It is much smaller than a red deer, has a short tail and a white mirror, and only the buck has small, pointed antlers.

When does a roe buck shed its antlers?

In autumn. In winter a new set of antlers grows, covered in velvet. Between March and June the buck rubs that velvet off.

What should you do if you hit a roe deer?

Stop in a safe place, secure the spot with your lights and warning triangle, call the police and do not approach the animal.

For those who know the forest in the early morning

A roe deer at the forest edge, mist above the field and the silence of an early walk: these are the moments that stay with you. Discover our designs with wild animals in the Wildlife collection, such as the Deep Timber Hoodie with a bear in the primeval forest, or the Open Ground Hoodie, with wide landscapes in soft green and brown. Shipping is free across the EU from €45 (otherwise €4.99).