In October 2012 we went over to the beautiful and enchanting RSPB Minsmere to see the star attraction on the heath, the red deer rut. Although we’d missed some of the fierce mating battles of a couple of weeks prior, we still got a glimpse of the intensity of the rut and the wildly aggressive behaviour the males were displaying.
Our jeep safari took us as close as we could safely get to the action – very often taking us to the edge of a harem containing one large stag and several hinds.
On occasion we’d be moved on by a dominant stag holding his own, antlers impressively aloft, sniffing the air as he caught our scent.
Down wind, we could sit and watch the stories unfold a little longer and witness first hand some of the drama play out like a soap opera. We saw the smaller stags (/bucks) trying their luck as they wandered into dominant stag territory to entice some of the hinds with their call. It didn’t work for the small boys without the real, bellowing roar, but we did see some success from some of the larger stags.
At one point we were in the middle of what felt like a competition as two large, rival stags would roar their echoing, baritone calls and thrash the ground as they strutted back and forth, gauging their opponent’s size and strength. A few stray hinds left one male’s camp for the other but not enough to cause a battle to ensue.
It was amazing to learn that the males had been doing this for weeks and weeks without food. It just echoed the fact that with every battle scar, every strut and each bellowing roar, the message they were sending was that this was a battle of stamina that only the strongest would win.