The Red Deer Rut... the chase is on

I have witnessed the rut in our local deer park now for over the past 60 plus years and there is nothing more wonderful at this time of year to see than the chasing, posturing, and even prancing of the stag as he tries to impress the female deer in his harem. There is a mix of different moves from holding his head held high slow walking trying to show size and strength, his chasing the females to 'taste or 'scent' the females to see if they are in estrous, there is 'prancing' where he seems to jump with all feet off the ground, the speed and the agility of the stag is a sight to behold as he runs turns and twists after the females. All the while he is also trying to keep the harem together to stop them deserting, also seeing off rivals who may try to come in and challenge the main stag who try to win some of the females to breed with them, and then there are the younger stags who wait on the edge of the harem who try to sneak in and take a chance to breed with the females. At this time of year the stags are at their most aggressive, please stay a long way back from them, never approach, touch or feed the red deer, or you might find yourself on the wrong end of those antlers! Film clip shows the different chasing of the females.