Rutting deer
MAGNIFICENT; NOBLE; INCREDIBLY frustrated. Sexually mature from around 16 months, most red deer won’t secure a mate until they’re six years old – and finally have the antlers and thick neck to stand a chance. In late summer the velvet covering their antlers falls away, revealing the branching weapons they must use to fend off rivals, spell-bind hinds and give walkers the countryside’s most Game of Thrones spectacle. Other tools in their armoury: a pungent goatish smell, a deep-throated bellow (also known as ‘bolving’) and a rotten temper – part testosterone, part not having eaten for a month. A rutting stag will have around five run-ins with rivals during October and early November and stands a 30% chance of being maimed. But each bout is preceded with a roar-off lasting up to an hour, both deer hoping the other will back down before a clash. To the winner, the chance, finally, to mate with multiple hinds, as each comes into season.
To the loser, a long and lonely walk.
WALK HERE: From the Royal Parks in London to the Cairngorms via Exmoor, Minsmere and 10 National Trust parks.