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One of nature's seasonal spectacles is the autumn deer rut, when male deer (stags or bucks) lock antlers in competition for female deer (hinds of foes). Here's our selection of the best places we look after where you experience the drama and noise of rutting season.
Deer ruts are best viewed with binoculars from a safe distance. It's best to leave your dog at home, and please look out for any signs put up around parks where deer are cared for.
Charles Harding, Deer Warden at Holnicote Estate, provides further insights into the autumnal deer rut activity.
'The stags round up the hinds and make sure everyone knows that they’re "theirs". They try and make themselves look bigger to opponent stags by charging around, rolling on the ground and in mud to ward off their rivals.
They’ll put on lots of weight to store up energy from August to September, but while the ruts are happening in October they won’t eat for a month to put all their energy into winning as many hinds as they can.'
'You’ll see stags running back and forth, usually parallel to one another, bellowing out a challenge to each other. There can be fights when they lock antlers and physically challenge one another, which can be a sight to see.'
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