RUTTING RED DEER ARE BEAUTIFUL NOW

RUTTING RED DEER

Russet, red, orange, yellow and golden leaves make a gorgeous backdrop for rutting red deer (Cervus elaphus).

Every autumn, the stags of this fascinating deer species engage in rutting, in which they produce a mind-bending display of male prowess, as the strongest of the herds fight off challengers and defend territories.

The annual rut is quite a show. The stags pull out all the stops to gain and retain dominance and keep their own herds in check. The males posture, using a range of physical and sensory tricks.

Rutting activity is at its most intense at dawn.

The red deer is the 4th-largest deer species, after moose, elk and sambar deer. They are twice the size of North American white-tailed deer.

In autumn, red deer grow thicker coats of hair to keep them warm in the coming winter.

Red deer recolonized Europe after the mammoth Ice Age ice sheet melted, about 12,000 years ago.

Red deer are now prevalent in European forests, although they were once threatened.  Reintroduction and conservation efforts, especially in the United Kingdom, have resulted in an increase of red deer populations. There are almost 400,000 red deer in Scotland alone. 

New studies of ancient red deer DNA sampled from 7500 year old bones found in Scotland’s Inner and Outer Hebrides suggest that they may have been transported there by Stone Age adventurers. Some hypothesize that it was a Neolith Noah’s ark mission that brought them. 

Isolated red deer populations can also be found from the Lake District, in northern England, to Cornwall in the southeast. There are also red deer herds in Wales.

Thanks to successful conservation efforts, here are some great places in the UK where you can experience red rutting deer:

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Martha de Jong-Lantink. “Edelherten in het Park De Hoge Veluwe.” Red deer.
2. Image: by Paul Green. “Red deer rutting.”
3. Image: by Paul Green. “Two in one.”
4. Image: by Nigel Stone. Courtesy of Exmoor NP. “Red Deer Stags at Alderman's B Allotment.”
5. Image: by Calle Lidström. “Vilande kronhjort.” (Cervus elaphus).
6. Image: by Julian Dowse. Courtesy of Natural England. “Red deer stag.”
7. Image: by Andy Morffew. “The Confrontation - Stage 3.”
8. Image: by Zweer de Bruin. “Edelhert.”
9. Image: by Mark Robinson. “All Quiet.”
10. Image: by Bernard Stam. “Edelhert, Red Deer (Cervus elaphus).”
11. Image: by Tom Ingless. “Young Red Deer Stag (Cervus elaphus).”
12. Image:  by David Nunn. “Red deer.”
13. Image: by BN App - Download now!
14. Image: by Andy Morffew. “A Feisty Yearling.”