Richmond Park
I always try and get to Richmond Park for the rutting season, and this year was no exception. I first went in September to have a look around and see if the Red Deer were getting ready for their rut, which normally happens from September through to October.
The rut is a great and exciting time to watch the Deer, it’s where they engage in fierce battles to gain dominance for mating with the hinds. The best time to see and hear them is at dawn so it was an early start of 5 am.
This time there was only a small amount of Deer bellowing.
I returned back early October and couldn’t believe my luck, the weather was perfect a frosty and misty morning. I raced to get ready and walked towards the sound of bellowing Deer. The noise was unbelievable I had never heard anything like it. I walked through the mist listen and following the sounds till I found them.
Coming face to face in the mist was an experience in itself, they look so menacing. It’s not a good idea to get close especially in rutting season.
The Red deer are our largest land mammal and can weigh up to 530 lbs and when they are rutting they become very aggressive and will charge at you, so it’s best to keep your distance. I have had to get a move one at times and it’s scary.
October is the most exciting time of year to watch our deer as they engage in fierce mating battles. The three largest species of deer (red, fallow, and sika) all rut in the autumn and are easy to watch in parks and in the wild.
Rutting activity is most intense soon after dawn, though some activity occurs throughout the day. Deer are interesting to watch because their behavior changes as the rut progress.
But remember that male deer are pumped full of testosterone and highly aggressive; in parks, attacks on dogs are not uncommon and sometimes people are also injured. So don’t get too close.
