Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Fallow Deer 4
The rut starts in late August or early September, reaching a peak in October and is indicated by a change in the behavior of the bucks, the thickening of their necks and the setting up of rutting stands. These stands consist of scrapes in the ground and thrashed bushes and trees.
The buck urinates into the scrapes and may also urinate upon himself or his antlers. During the rut bucks develop a very strong odor which is easily detectable even by humans
The bucks will also thrash and fray bushes and trees, (and Doug adds fences to that list) depositing scent from their sub-orbital scent glands onto the trunks of trees. When on the rutting stand the buck emits a characteristic groaning call which is similar to a deep extended belch
During the rut bucks will fight with each other, the fight consisting mainly of shoving competitions with antlers locked. As the bucks push they twist with their necks to try and force their opponent backwards. When the weaker animal eventually gives in, the winner will often gash the flank of the loser with its brow tines as it turns to flee. Yearlings and other young bucks will generally be tolerated by a buck on a rutting stand, but if an animal of equal size appears then a fight will usually occur.
After the rut, males gradually cease defending their territories and form "bachelor groups," while females and young remain segregated from males and in their own groups.
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