Deer rut
Taking a break
I shall indeed miss the violent clash of antlers and guttural roaring in the early morning mist. After many years of photographing this fascinating event in the surrounds of the UK, I’ve decided enough. This year was going to be my last deer rut for a while.
The main reason was simply to allow me more time next year to follow and photograph other UK species. I now have a good stock of photos covering the full life cycle of the Red and Fallow deer and feel that I need a break from the roaring stags. Another reason is the sheer popularity of the event in the UK. Accompanied by the rise of cheap digital cameras, both Bushy and Richmond Parks are getting a little overcrowded.
2010 was a unique year as both species rut seemed to overlap, resulting in a fantastic environment for photography. The single stags of both species walked around roaring and gurgling in a bid to impress the females. This meant that as a photographer you could simply stay in one spot for long periods and click away as they passed you. 2010 was also a cull year in many of the deer areas, so the resultant deer numbers were significantly down. It meant a little extra foot slogging towards the nearest stag, which wasn’t a bad thing I guess.
Below are some of my favourites from the 2010 season
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[…] only take photos during the latter part of 2010. I was happy to scramble around England during the deer rut then head off for a visit the Kruger National Park in […]