A totem surprised me some months ago beside a path. It was early July. A short pole, perhaps a metre high, covered in white wool.
Recently I have seen a couple more, much weathered now, tawdry things near another path not far away. Unlike then, I now have an idea, though untested, of what purpose they may serve.
The white woolly material is indeed wool, probably sheep wool. Deer are shy creatures, cautious and alert to unfamiliar scents. The smell of another ruminant would not go unnoticed, and they may well withdraw from the peopled margins.
So these totems are likely deer deterrents, discouraging grazing in sensitive spots and perhaps keeping them away from roads and dogs. Unleashed dogs remain one of the real dangers for deer here. A moment’s excitement for a dog can mean panic and death for a deer. Their scent alone shrinks the deer’s range and reduces the food available to them.