Mother and Child Red Deer

I went out early with clear skies and a low sun to photograph deer. I focused on the area with the two large stags and was pleasantly surprised to also find two hinds, a calf and two yearlings (see extra), practicing their rutting skills.

I must have spent about an hour trying to get various shots. The deer other than the stags were more wary of me and another photographer working in a different part of the field. In the end they headed away and into the copses that surround the field.

I never got to speak to the photographer but was at times quite concerned how close he was getting to the stags. At one stage he had only the trunk of a tree and about 5 metres between him and the one stag. I'm sure he got some amazing shots but it seemed to be a bit reckless. I spoke to a dog walker who said that they won't move out the way if they are on a track, but tended to just ignore people as they walked past. He was quick to explain that when the rut is on, he was a lot more careful.

In the end I moved on to another area but didn't find any more deer.