October in the UK sees the start of the rutting season for red deer.  The rut is a period when the biggest and strongest male (stag) rounds up a group of females (hinds) for mating.  Of course every other male deer wants to do the same, but there's only so many females to go around.

In order to maintain control over a group of females the stag must constantly drive away rivals.  The stag announces his superiority over other males by constantly bellowing out an echoing roar, which sounds something like a cross between a chainsaw and a burp.  I guess if we had to shout for days on end like these guys do we'd end up making a similar noise.

Sometimes shouting is not enough, and when contenders approach the females they need to be chased off.  Occasionally fights between males can break out, and this can lead to some serious clashing of those magnificent antlers

Red deer are our largest native land mammals.  They can weigh up to 190kg.  In fact they're one of only two native species of deer in the UK, the other being the Roe deer.  You can find out more about them in this Key to British Land Mammals.

If you go to watch the rutting deer make sure you keep at a safe distance.  If you take a dog be sure to keep it on a lead.  You definitely DON'T want to get between the stag and his females.  Getting charged by an angry stag can be bad for your health.  Those antlers are sharp!

A good place to see the rut in the London area is at Richmond Park.  The deer are used to having people around them so it's possible to get much closer than you would to deer in more remote locations.

Related Pages

• UK Safari Deer Section
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