Red Deer Rut

Strange sounds

In nature every season has something special to offer. When, just after summer, temperatures suddenly drop, an annual spectacle is about to start. This special display is accompanied by a strange roaring sound, something you will most likely hear when walking in the European forests this time of year. The animals that produce these sounds cannot easily be found during the rest of the year, but in September and October it is quite easy to spot them.

The animals we are talking about, are red deer. Around the beginning of fall, the rutting season starts. Since it also is the start of the new academic year, it is a very busy time for us in our jobs. It is difficult to find a moment to get out and look for these animals. Luckily, we know some well-known locations to photograph these animals, and we simply block some evenings specifically for this phenomenon.

Stand off

After we had arrived at a good location to observe the Red Deer Rut this season, we sat and waited for the deer to leave the forest. Soon some females arrived and started to feed. A stag, which is another name for a male red deer, followed the females. He walked to and fro, afraid of losing his group of females to another stag. He constantly bellowed, making his presence known. Occasionally, when another stag came closer, he would chase it off.

While the sun was setting, two groups of Red Deer came too close to each other. Mixing of the groups usually means that one male has to let go. The two stags belonging to the separate groups were quite evenly matched, so leaving was not the most obvious option. On the other hand, fighting could result in death. Therefore both started showing off their strength. However, this did not impress one of the two enough. After a couple of minutes the two stags clashed, their antlers locked. The sound of the clash could be heard well, and we saw the deer pushing and fighting. It only lasted a minute, before both decided to back off. Fortunately, for both of the stags, the females split up again. Each male could leave with a number of females. The day had ended well for both of them, this time…

Bellowing Red Deer

The fight

Red Deer in the mist