The roe rut
Jon Snowdon says the females call the tune in the roe rut and ‘twas ever thus
What a month August is going to be. The roe deer rut has started in earnest and once all that testosteronedriven energy has been exhausted, the deer management team have to catch up on maintenance. This involves erecting a couple of towers on one estate and returning to another to reposition most of its seats to make them safe and secure, as well as positioning them more effectively.
That’s the thing about seats, they are only useful for a period and, unless they are moved, they end up a wasted resource once the trees are beyond deer damage.
Seats are relatively straightforward to move, though they take some team effort. Towers are a different story, however. Pick the right spot in the first place and they are likely to be there until they become rotten and have to be dismantled. Towers need thought before being erected and, if you get it wrong the time and effort, not to mention the expense, is wasted.
We have an estate where one tower is now completely surrounded by pines that are above the tower roof. It is still in good condition after a number of decades but once in it you are greeted by an impenetrable wall of mature pine, which is not ideal if you want to spot deer.
Highlight
As you read this the roe rut, one of the highlights of the year, will have kicked off.
For a month or so the roes’ usually secret, clandestine lives change and become somewhat chaotic. Bucks chasing bucks, does chasing bucks, bucks chasing does, kids chasing does and, occasionally – just occasionally – stalkers may take a small part of the action. Whichever way it pans out, it is an unforgettable experience to be in the woods among it all.
On one foray during the rut I had to duck down out of the way as a doe swerved and ran straight towards me, fleeing from her suitor. A second later I had to dive to the side as her prospective mate barged past a foot away. Alarming but incredibly exhilarating at the same time. The doe’s hormones are driving her to mate and it is the doe that cleverly controls the courtship, During all of the shenanigans the female still keeps her wits to gain the sought-after end result. Isn’t that always the case?
As for the buck, full to the brim with testosterone, he totally and absolutely loses his marbles. His mind is on one thing and nothing is going to get in the way.
He all but loses his instinct for survival
“The buck all but loses his instinct for survival during the rut as his mind is on one thing”
and becomes reckless in his quest. Sound familiar? If he were not in that heightened state of lust and somewhat distracted, our attempts at a roe doe call would be unlikely to fool them.
Calling is an art and, as with most good art, practice makes (almost) perfect. The closer you can get to a doe’s call, the more success you will have. Listen to a doe calling and try to imitate the pitch – the spacing of each call is important and remember there is always a period of silence in-between.