Ben Damh, Wester Ross Each stag is ready to fight to the death for his chance to mate – and he only has only a short window to take his opportunity
Ben Damh means “hill of the stag” in Gaelic. You can see why. In the season of the rut the hill is alive with the sight, sound and smell of red deer. Even before we reach the ridge we can hear roaring, like the sound of a distant lawnmower. As we stalk down onto the western slopes above Loch Damh, past musky puddles of peat where the stags will wallow, we are entering the centre of an unfolding drama with enough sex and violence to rival Game of Thrones.
Each stag is ready to fight to the death for his chance to mate – and he only has only a short window to take his opportunity. On such poor ground as this, the hinds are in oestrus for just four short weeks around the beginning of October. They gather on the high greens to graze while the feeding is good, and the males soon follow.
Continue reading…
Source: Guardian Environment