Our nocturnal outing listening out for bellowing stags

OUR NOCTURNAL OUTING LISTENING OUT FOR BELLOWING STAGS

UNUSUAL

The deer mating season lasts from mid-September to mid-October and is one of nature’s finest events.  At this particular time of year, young and old males will fight each other for one very simple reason: to win over hinds. Each year the rutting season draws more and more visitors wanting to hear their raucous call echoing through the forest. At the ski chalet in Samrée (Belgium), forest wardens from the Belgian Forest Service accompany the special red deer rut evening walks. Expectantly, we followed them for a unique nature outing.

During the deer mating season the dominant stags really have a lot on their plate: they have to watch over their females (some herds number as many as thirty females), mate with the fertile females and chase away the young bucks trying to steal away their herd. This is why it is important for the stags to have the most impressive bellow (or roar). Sometimes, they end up battling each other and the sound of stags locking antlers in head-to-head battles and their might roars is really impressive.  At times they can even get stuck, their majestic ‘crowns’ intertwined.

Make as little noise as possible

Now that we have been given some introductory information, comes the moment we have all been waiting for: the deer rut walk. And to increase our chances to hear their mighty roars, the forest rangers insist we make as little noise as possible, as deer avoid humans like the plague. Our group is divided into several smaller groups, so we can carpool and we end up riding along with another one of the participants. The forest rangers are taking us to a place that is forbidden to the general public during the rutting season. If you get caught there during the daytime in order to renew the experience, you will be fined!

We hear a stag roaring from afar...then, nothing...

he nocturnal forest is eerily quiet and the only sound we hear is that of our coats brushing against each other, the rhythmic pounding of our feet hitting the forest floor, our careful whispers…In the clearing, we concentrate and try and listen for the slightest sound and finally we are in luck; we can hear a stag roaring from afar.  The call barely lasts 5 seconds and for the next 20 minutes we don’t hear another peep, let alone a roar! We go back happy to have enjoyed the experience, but slightly underwhelmed and feeling hungry for more…

The other group was even less lucky than we were, they heard absolutely nothing during their walk. We all go back to the chalet for a nice hot drink before heading back home. 

Our experience was only a partial success, and even though we didn’t get to hear the stags bellowing as much as we would have liked to, we thoroughly enjoyed taking part. The thing is, you can never be sure you will hear the stags rutting call, because deer are inherently unpredictable animals that can smell humans from miles away. The forest wardens seem to think this the reason we didn’t hear them bellowing. When we heard the roars from afar, the wind had just turned and blew our smell towards the stag. It’s quite likely that when it smelled our presence, the stag fled.

Despite feeling a small tinge of disappointment, we don’t regret our evening one little bit, and we really recommend this experience to nature lovers and anyone with a curious disposition.

It is very important to follow a few ground rules: wear sturdy walking shoes, don’t wear perfume, leave your pets at home, make as little noise as possible. It might seem strange to you, but this also involves wearing a coat that makes as little rustling noise as possible. This may seem trivial, but imagine how much noise it can make when they are fifty people walking in line in the silent forest. And then, if you’re lucky, you might hear the king master of the forest seducing his ladies…

Staying in a charming hotel and soaking in the hunting season's atmosphere

In conclusion, I would like to say we really loved this experience despite the fact that we did not get to hear the mighty roar of the stag in its full glory. Nonetheless, we enjoyed spending time in nature and experiencing first-hand the atmosphere of a village where the hunting traditions are still very much alive