The red deer rut 2015

There are many wildlife subjects that I never tire of working with and I must admit that I do spend a bit of the late summer looking forward to the red deer rut. In years past I would have hurried down to one of the many deer parks that offer fantastic opportunities during October. Luckily however a number of small herds are now present as wild reds on a few moors close to where I live. These have many advantages, not only do I get a bit more of a lie-in but I only have to drive for 15 mins or so to get to one of the moors they live on.

Photographing the reds here is different than in the deer parks. They are wild animals so harder to get close to (they are culled and poached so do have a bit of a healthy respect). They are also living on a moor so the images have a different feel, no woods just an odd lone tree.

This year the rut was a fantastic affair. It was a pity the weather wasn’t as good. I guess that I only had about 5 good mornings out of the 20 or so when I considered the rut to be in full swing. Dark, ominous clouds brooded over head frequently and if this wasn’t bad enough many mornings were graced by a thick fog!

However, saying that when the elements all come together there is no better way to start your day than a couple of hours of beautiful backlit reds as they roar and cough their way in the early morning.