This deer was rattling its antlers in a shrub in the garden today. I took a shot of it and noticed it had a twig caught and also the antlers were bleeding. There was a female along with him. ( photo / image / picture from Kildale's Garden )
Your photos are always great--so nicely framed and clear! I know that deer lose their velvet from their antlers in the spring--is he just late getting around to it and that caused the bleeding?
I think that the deer start to grow their antlers in the spring and as they grow they rub the velvet off and I think that was what he was doing.
Aha! I had it backwards--but I'm not all that familiar with deer headgear. I'm glad he wasn't injured, just doing what comes naturally.
Our deer rut in October and have antlers covered in velvet at the moment too. Erm...is it just me or has the fellow in your shot only one ear? Maybe it's just the angle of his head that gives it that appearance. :-?
He has two. The images are never as clear on here as they are originally. ( photo / image / picture from Kildale's Garden )
Kildale; What a beautiful deer. Isn't it a little early for them to be going in rut as this buck seems to be doing with the horn rubbing and the female in his company? I think the weather has a lot of the animals mixed up.
I think it is still working on his antlers and it will be another month or two before the rut. I saw him under the mountain ash a couple of days ago eating the berries on the low branches.
