Rutting Red Deer Photography

Rutting Red Deer Photography
Rutting Red Deer Photography

I’ve always wanted to photograph Red Deer while they are Rutting and today I was lucky enough to make my first trip out to Woburn (in Bedfordshire) to experience first hand this amazing display. I was armed with my full camera gear (not knowing what I would need) and was kindly dropped off beside a footpath into the deer park before dawn had broken, and I headed off into what was one of the most amazing and if I’m honest frightening experiences of my life – Rutting Red Deer.

Rutting Red Deer Photography

Walking between to heavy duty fences up towards the park in the near dark didn’t quite prepare me for what it is like stood in an open field while you can hear bellowing stags all around you interspersed with the occasional crash of antlers, a sound that is much louder than you may expect as the echo from the thunderous clap reverberates around you, I will fully admit the first time it happened my heart skipped a beat.

As a virgin to this type of experience I was quite cagey at first always keeping an eye all around me as I wandered into the thick of it so to speak (I did give the animals a respectful amount of distance, but you can never be too careful, and in reality I only once felt threatened and that was when one Stag chased another away from his harem of hinds right towards me (they passed a safe distance in the end but I did step back a way just in case).

Rutting Red Deer Photography The photos

Anyway enough of my waffle, here are the best images of the day (a couple of videos to follow soon, probably tomorrow as well), I hope you like them all, please do let me know. 

A few of the Early, sunrise shots:

 

Red Deer in Silhouette early in the morning (sunrise)
Red Deer in Silhouette early in the morning (sunrise)

 

Red Deer in Silhouette early in the morning (sunrise)
Another Red Deer in Silhouette early in the morning (sunrise)

 

Red Deer in Silhouette early in the morning (sunrise)
Closer Red Deer in Silhouette early in the morning (sunrise)

 

Red Deer in Silhouette early in the morning (sunrise)
By the water Red Deer in Silhouette early in the morning (sunrise)

 

Some Artistic Landscape/Red Deer shots:

 

Landscape of Red Deer
Landscape of Red Deer

 

Early morning mist and Red Deer
Early morning mist and Red Deer

 

Lots more Red Deer:

 

Female or Hind Red Deer
Female or Hind Red Deer

 

Red Deer Stag
Red Deer Stag

 

Red Deer Stag
Between the Trees – Red Deer Stag

 

Red Deer Stag
Red Deer Stag

 

Red Deer Stag
Look at the Camera – Red Deer Stag

 

Red Deer Stag
Red Deer Stag

 

Red Deer Stag
Inquisitive Red Deer Stag

 

Red Deer Stag Bellowing
Red Deer Stag Bellowing

 

Red Deer Stags
a few Red Deer Stags

 

Red Deer Stag Bellowing
Red Deer Stag Bellowing

 

Red Deer Stag
Lone Red Deer Stag

 

Red Deer Stag bellowing
Red Deer Stag bellowing

 

Bellowing stag Red Deer
Bellowing stag Red Deer

 

Protecting his harem stag Red Deer
Protecting his harem stag Red Deer

 

Bellowing stag Red Deer
Bellowing stag Red Deer

 

Bellowing stag Red Deer
Another Bellowing stag Red Deer

 

Stag Red Deer lying down
Stag Red Deer lying down

 

Stag Red Deer lying down and bellowing
Red Deer Stag lying down and bellowing

 

A Couple of Rutting panoramas (I didn’t get many actual rutting photos):

 

A Practice Rut between two young males
A Practice Rut between two young males (they later started practicing “other”things with each other)

 

The Real Thing - Red Deer Rut (bit distant)
The Real Thing – Red Deer Rut (bit distant)

 

Some Sika:

 

Stag Sika Deer
Stag Sika Deer

 

Stag Sika Deer
Another of the Stag Sika Deer

 

Stag Sika Deer
Stag Sika Deer

 

A Muntjac:

 

Muntjac Deer
Muntjac Deer

 

Pere David’s Deer:

 

Pere David's Deer
Pere David’s Deer
And for my mum, a Black Squirrel:

 

Black Squirrel (a grey really genetic anomaly in the Woburn area).
Black Squirrel (a grey really genetic anomaly in the Woburn area).

 

Like it? Share it!

23 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.  Learn more