The Rutting Season

The deer rutting season is the first two weeks in October.  I'm lucky enough to live only a few miles from the Woburn Abbey deer park, through which public paths pass.  It was established before 1661 and whilst originally containing Red and Fallow Deer, it now has nine species of deer.  Red Deer can weigh up to 551lbs (250kg)!

So on a glorious early October afternoon, G and I set out with our cameras to see what we could find.  We came across a herd of deer, but each time we tried to get close they started moving away.  In the distance we could hear a stag bellow.  As we started heading back towards the exit we came across a few stags by a stream.  This magnificent fella, rather than chasing the females, decided to scratch out a nice spot under a tree and have a bit of a lie down.  We had to pass within a few metres of him.  The lady in the ticket office said we were extremely lucky as they normally won't come close to people. We felt extremely privileged to see such a magnificent animal.

The extras are of the stag above scratching out a suitable place to lie down and another stag posing for a photo (or staring me down!).  An amazing afternoon - and it cost nothing!