I understand that the Landward team is spending some of tonight’s episode showing Dougie in the Cairngorms, hoping to see the annual red deer rut. I think he is due to be at the Mar Lodge Estate, who (in normal times) organise guided walks where you can watch the rut from a safe distance. As I discovered, these aren’t always great for photography (unless you’ve got a very long lens!) as you are normally watching the red deer from quite a distance. But having the opportunity to chat with the people who are working beside the local deer population every day can provide some great insights into their behaviour. This is also a very safe way of watching the rut.
If you are planning on getting a bit closer to the action, as I’ve done myself in the past, please check out the Deer Photography Code of Conduct that wildlife photographer Jules Cox wrote with the British Deer Society, which is available on YouTube.
The above image was captured on a ‘clash of the titans’ walk at the Mar Lodge Estate in October last year where we saw the red deer setting themselves up for some rutting action with plenty of stags in the area. Even though we didn’t get to see a rut, I loved watching the drama unfold. However, we watched from quite a distance and the evening light melted into darkness at quite a rate. Here is a shot from early in the evening as the sun was setting. It’s quite unusual for me to share an image where the subject is so small in the frame, but I love the autumnal shades of the landscape and the way the stag with his harem of hinds melted into it.