I went out into the field to try to catch some action shots of the Red deer and Fallow deer in Calke park, Derbyshire, as the males begin to demonstrate sexual fitness in autumn, select mates/mate and defend harems. I didn’t manage to catch any rutting on this occasion, although there were a couple of individuals with obvious wounds from fighting, and plenty of strutting about and bellowing taking place. I did find some sleepy individuals who were obviously not interested and for whom it all looked like far too much drama and effort! Other individuals were busy practising locking antlers with low hanging branches of trees and rolling in mud, and running around a lot looking quite magnificent.
Clare Lusher Photography 