A Clash Of Antlers

 Observations from the 2019 Red Deer Rut

As summer draws to a close, and the nights draw in, the temperatures begin to drop, and the leaves start to change colour. Autumn is upon us, and so brings this years Red Deer Rut.

Physiology

Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) is Britain's largest native land mammal, with the male Stags reaching 1.2 meters (48 inches) high at the shoulder, and up to 240kg's (530 lb) in weight.

From around 10 months old, Stags grow antlers in the spring of each year, and as the stag ages, their antlers grow larger. Young stags at around two years old, known as 'prickets', will have grown just the two main antler 'beams'. In successive years, the antler grows thicker and longer, and develops spikes, or 'tines' on the beam. The older the stag, the more 'tines'. On their own, the antlers can reach up to 1.15 meters (45 inches) in length and 5kg (11 lb) in weight, each!

In order to compensate, the stag's neck muscles thicken in order to compensate for the extra weight being carried in the antlers. The antlers serve two purposes - to impress potential females (Hinds), and as a weapon to duel with against competing Stags.

The antler is shed in early spring, and immediately starts to re-grow in preparation for the coming autumn's rutting season. The antlers grow covered in a velvet-like tissue which is rich in nerves and blood vessels carrying nutrients to the fast developing antlers. The antler is not a type of horn, but is pure bone. Growing at around 2.5 cm (1 inch) per day, it is the fastest growing bone in the animal kingdom.

In mid-summer, the blood vessels at the base of the antlers constrict to stop the flow of blood, and the antler stops growing. The velvet covering dies and dries out, and begins to fall off the antlers. Stags in this stage are known to be 'in tatters', as the dead velvet hangs off their antlers. Stags will rub their antlers against tree trunks and bushes in order to remove the itchy velvet, and during this process, the white antlers become stained and polished by the sap, turning them brown.

The Rut

The onset of the change in seasons, and drop in temperatures at the end of September trigger the start of the annual Red Deer rutting season. The time of year when Stags compete for mating rights with the females. Rutting behaviour is most commonly observed in the hours just after sunrise, or just before sunset.

The females (Hinds) only come into season for a short period of time, so it is up to the stag to gather together a large harem of Hinds to increase his chances of a successful mating. It is also up to the Stag to guard his Hinds to ensure no rival stags encroach on his territory.

However, rival stags will roam between harems, sometimes sitting at a distance, watching patiently for an opportunity to muscle into the group and overthrow the dominant stag.

Laws of Attraction

In order to gather a harem of Hinds in the first place, stags will prepare themselves to make them more attractive to the opposite sex.

Red Deer are very attuned to scent, and have numerous scent glands all over their body. Their noses also contain finely tuned scent receptors, and their sense of smell is hundreds, if not thousands of times more sensitive than a humans. In order to take advantage of this to attract Hinds, Stags will wallow in muddy puddles, and urinate on themselves. Mixed in with their own individual scent, this creates a very pungent scent, which Hinds can find irresistible, and helps bring them into season. The wallowing also coats the Stag's fur in mud, to give them a darker, more intimidating appearance.

Additionally, Stags will rummage their antlers in undergrowth vegetation or on the ground. Wayward pieces of grass, dirt and bracken can accumulate on their antlers, making them appear larger, which will, again, be attractive to Hinds, but intimidating to rival Stags.

Finally, Stags will roar - a deep, guttural bellow - announcing to the nearby deer population of his arrival. Bellows are a very distinctive sound, and can be heard across some distance. Nearby Stags will sound-off against each other for who has the best roar, creating a very unique, primeval chorus.

The bellow also serves as a warning to nearby rivals who are getting a little too close for comfort.

Fight Club

The rutting season is a stressful time for the Red Deer Stag. Once he has won over his harem of Hinds, the dominant Stag then needs to keep rivals at bay. To keep a look out, Stags will stay awake as long as possible, rarely eating as they defend their harem.

If a rival makes an approach, the Stags will initially engage in bellowing to each other, in the hope that the dominant Stag's roar will frighten the rival away. If that doesn't work, the Stags will move in closer. If the dominant Stag is sure of success, he may charge at his rival, who then runs away, defeated. Stags can run at up to 30 mph, so you can understand how intimidating this may be.

However, if more evenly matched, the two Stags will begin to parallel walk side by side. This allows both Stags to weigh each other up. If the Stag's are unsure at this point, the parallel walk can continue for some time.

A clash of antlers is the very last resort however, as Stag's instinctively know it can result in substantial injury. If one of the parallel Stag's is not confident he could win, he will back down, sometimes being chased away by the dominant Stag.

However, if both Stag's are confident, they will turn in, and clash antlers, sometimes with quite some force.

From here on, it is a contest of pure brute strength, as both Stags lock antlers, and push against each other.

The battle can either last just seconds, or continue on for minutes, as the Stag's aim to overthrow each other. The Stag on the higher ground is more likely to succeed, so on flatter ground, it is common to see the two locked stags spin in some form of dance, to try and find the dominant position.

The surefooted Stag will push back their rival, driving them backwards, and into submission, ending the fight.

The Winner may let out a bellow, announcing his win, but also to warn off other nearby potential rivals, before returning to his Hinds.

However it is at this point where 'satellite Stags', sat on the surrounding outskirts of the harem may take advantage of the tired Stag, and move in.

Successful Stags will curl their top lips and 'sniff' the air in order to recognise the scent of a Hind in season, and will trot behind a Hind in heat, hoping for a chance to mate.

The rutting season only last for around four weeks or so each year, and as it draws to a close, the Deer begin to migrate together into larger herds. Eventually though, they all go their separate ways. The Hinds, calves and 'Pricket' Stag's will herd together, whilst the mature Stag's live in bachelor groups, until the next rutting season begins.

Behind the Scenes

This year, I decided to concentrate my efforts by primarily going to Tatton Park, and was there for 8am when the pedestrian gate opened most weekends throughout October. The early morning was the best time for observing wildlife within the park, spotting Grey Squirrels, Rabbits, a Fox, flocks of Geese, and of course, the Red Deer, as well as watching the sunrise illuminating the trees in their autumn colours.

I came to identify a number of locations in the park where the Deer always seemed to be grazing, so each time I went, I had a route in mind which would take in all these locations, some of which were on the fringes of the park.

I also managed to book a place on one of the very popular Deer Rut walks that are held at Lyme Park, and this had an early morning start at 6:30am. The walk set off at 7am, and lasted about an hour, where the very knowledgeable Ranger's talked about Lyme's resident Red Deer herd. The only downside was that the Deer at Lyme were more timid, and as soon as the herd had sensed the group of 30+ visitors, they began to head away into their protected sanctuary. But on the plus side, the event also included a free cooked breakfast!

From the Deer Rut Walk at Lyme Park