White-tailed Deer Archives • PAUL ROEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

deer 2 - Taking Advantage Of The Full Moon For Rutting White-tailed Deer — **Fall is a great time to observe White-tailed Deer in Southwestern Ontario.**

After the rush of fall migration has passed, I often switch my focus to photographing White-tailed Deer. Fall is mating season, also known as the rut, for these large mammals making them highly active at this time of year. Unlike other times of the year when deer are more active at dusk and dawn, during the rut White-tailed Deer are easily located during daylight hours. Large bucks are often observed at close range as they are less wary of humans during the rut as they have only one thing on their mind.

Deer 4 - Taking Advantage Of The Full Moon For Rutting White-tailed Deer — **During the rut, I try to keep my distance from White-tailed Deer as they can be aggressive at this time of year. This particular buck crossed the path only a few meters in front of me.**

Research suggests the second full moon following the fall equinox triggers the peak of the rut in White-tailed Deer. With last Friday’s full moon being said moon, I grabbed my camera and headed to the woods in search of some White-tailed Deer.

deer 1 - Taking Advantage Of The Full Moon For Rutting White-tailed Deer — **This doe garnered the attention of several bucks.**

Making my way into the woods the imprints of fresh deer tracks were present in the mud, and I knew that the day’s target species couldn’t be too far ahead. A short distance down the trail rustling in the bushes caught my attention as the first White-tailed buck of the day came into view.

Raising may camera I took several photos as this was a decent sized buck with an imposing set of antlers. As he crossed the trail in front of me, a doe behind him was observed grazing on vegetation. A few minutes passed and a smaller buck came into view. The first buck quickly turned and chased the second buck out of the area.

deer 8 - Taking Advantage Of The Full Moon For Rutting White-tailed Deer — **Not all of the bucks on this day had impressive antlers. Several younger bucks were mixed in with the herd.**

Doubling back on the trail to not disturb this pair, I made my down another trail. Hearing more rustling in the bushes another buck passed only a few meters in front of me presumably chased by the first buck encountered. Making my way deeper into the woods, several more bucks of various sizes were observed. Some were young bucks with only small antlers while other were mature bucks displaying more remarkable antlers.

deer 6 - Taking Advantage Of The Full Moon For Rutting White-tailed Deer — **This past week I had great views of several bucks demonstrating their typical rutting behavior.**

In total, six bucks were observed in this small area all within sight of each other. Mixed in with these bucks were several does. Keeping my distance, I watched from behind a large oak tree. A medium sized buck to my right was busy chasing two smaller bucks whenever they came too close to the does nearest him.

To my left, two larger bucks briefly locked antlers but as I attempted to raise my camera for a photo, a smaller buck was running in my direction as he tried to escape the pursuit of a much larger buck. Not wanting to take my eye off these moving bucks, I failed to capture an image of the battling bucks, but no picture is worth risking my safety. The two bucks quickly unlocked antlers as the slightly smaller of the two seemed to give up rather easily as the exchange was short lived.

deer 5 - Taking Advantage Of The Full Moon For Rutting White-tailed Deer — **This large buck was clearly the king of the forest. Only a subtle movement on his part and the other bucks took notice.**

Watching this rutting behaviour was certainly fascinating, and I was grateful to experience it first hand. One other observation I made was the respect that the largest buck in the group commanded. He was the least active of the group, but his limited actions were responded to most by all of the other bucks. As the other bucks chased each other and defended their own small areas, all activity ceased when the largest buck so much as turned his head. One step in any direction and the 5 other bucks were on the move. Observing this chain of command was truly impressive and I could only imagine the battles this buck has lost and won over the years to achieve his spot in the forest’s hierarchy.

Deer 3 - Taking Advantage Of The Full Moon For Rutting White-tailed Deer — **From behind a large oak tree, I watched as several mature bucks moved through the forest.**

If you are planning on heading out in search of White-tailed Deer in the coming weeks there are a few things to keep in mind. Be aware of the hunting seasons in your area and whether or not hunting is permitted on the land you plan to search. The area I chose is a public area within the city limits and hunting is not permitted. Remember, White-tailed Deer are wild animals and large bucks do defend their territory and the does within it aggressively so be sure to keep your distance. The average weight of a mature White-tailed buck in Ontario is between 140 lbs and 250 lbs, add in a large set of antlers and this is not something you want to be on the receiving end of. Play it safe and observe and photograph mature deer form a distance.

Deer 7 - Taking Advantage Of The Full Moon For Rutting White-tailed Deer — **Opportunities to observe large White-tailed Deer will continue throughout the fall.**

Despite the peak of the rut coming to an end, White-tailed Deer will continue to breed into December and thus will remain quite active. With the remaining leaves quickly falling from the trees, the added light in the forest makes locating deer and observing them much easier. Many of our ESAs, conservation areas, and other public lands have healthy populations of White-tailed Deer, so travelling far to observe these impressive creatures is not necessary.

Taking in a late fall hike and observing White-tailed Deer is a great way to spend time in nature. Next time you are out at your favorite natural area, listen for movement and keep an eye out for fresh tracks on the ground and you might just be rewarded with an excellent view of a White-tailed Deer.

Good birding,
Paul

deer 2 - The Rut Is On For White-tailed Deer — White-tailed deer are in the middle of the rut right now. It is a great time of year to see a mature buck like this one.

White-tailed deer sightings in our area are quite common. Southwestern Ontario has a rather large population and with not a lot of natural predators, their numbers are on the rise. Deer can be found in every Environmentally Significant Area in the city as well as many parks and cemeteries. This time of year is a special time for the deer as it what is called the rut or simply mating season.

Bucks have only one thing on their minds at this time of year, and that is finding as many does as they can. This makes them much more active and less cautious then usual so an encounter with one is much greater. Keep this in mind when driving in the dark as these bucks travel many kilometers in search of does and collisions with cars increase at this time of year.

During this rutting period bucks will mark their territory by rubbing their antlers on trees and making scrapes on the ground with their hooves. These are excellent indications that a buck in the area so keep an out for these signs if you are wishing to encounter a mature buck. Watching a buck chase a group of does is quite a sight to see. Seeing two bucks lock antlers and fight over a territory is even more impressive. The best times to view this activity is at first and last light of the day as bucks are most active at night.

I like to head out first thing in the morning just as the sun is coming up and get into a location to photograph these animals. Morning works best for me because I find the animals are already out and there is less human activity than in the evening. I like to position myself on the edge of an open field where I know there are good numbers of deer. Keep in mind that a deer’s sense of smell is incredible, so position yourself downwind to avoid alerting the deer to you presence. Remember to keep still and quiet and you will likely be rewarded by witnessing some of the deer’s rutting behavior first hand.

Good birding,
Paul