Five Fascinating Facts about … fallow deer

Thursday, 27 September 2012

October is the peak of the fallow deer breeding season or ‘rut’ - an amazing wildlife spectacle when male deer, or bucks, settle disputes over the females with loud groans, battles of sheer strength and a clash of antlers

• They are secretive animals that live in unisex herds for the majority of the year. Variable in colour, most are tan with white spots on their back, a characteristic black and white tail and a white rump patch outlined in black
   
• towards the end of summer, bucks start to gain muscle mass around their shoulders and necks, their Adam’s apples start to bulge and their large palmate antlers harden ready for the autumn breeding season
   
• during the ‘rut’ males make loud groaning noises to proclaim their territory and attract females (does).  Please remember to respect these animals and keep your distance. Fallow deer have an excellent sense of smell and hearing so they can easily be disturbed by human presence
   
• rutting stands are created where bucks defend their territory by scraping at the ground and thrashing at vegetation with their antlers. They also urinate and churn up the ground to create wallows to mark their territory
   
• Just the action of bucks posturing, stamping and groaning can be enough to settle disputes over females, but when bucks are evenly matched, they will inevitably clash antlers and a battle of strength ensues. Victorious males impregnate a multitude of does during the breeding season to ensure their genes are passed to the next generation