Granddad’s Camera
Red deer, as it appears in the game

No.077 · Mammals · Common

Red deer

Cervus elaphus

Britain's largest wild land mammal: on the Highland hills, stags roar during the autumn rut and hinds gather in herds.

When to look

All year, mostly at dawn, day and dusk.

Time of day

Best time
Dawn and dusk; the rut from late September into October is the highlight.
Where in the game
the Cairngorms (moorland, mountain and pine forest)
Size
Stag head and body up to about 2 m, shoulder height up to 1.37 m
Weight
Stags usually 100–180 kg and up to 225 kg; hinds 70–100 kg
Lifespan
Up to 20 years; most live to about 16 in the wild
Population
About 346,000 in Great Britain (Mammal Society, 2018); 360,000–400,000 in Scotland (2013 estimate quoted by the Scottish Government)
Status
Least Concern (Great Britain Red List for Mammals, 2020)

Diet

Grasses, sedges and rushes in summer; dwarf shrubs such as heather and blaeberry in winter; also browses saplings.

Habitat

Open hill, moorland, glens and native woodland; also parks.

Breeding

The rut runs from the end of September to November; a single calf is born from mid-May, peaking in early June, and is weaned by about 8 months

Field signs

  • Oval slot prints about 5 × 7 cm
  • Antlers rubbed on trees; stripped bark
  • Rutting stands: bare, muddy wallows
  • Roaring stags and echoing bellows

Did you know?

  • About 80% of Scotland's red deer live on the open hill all year; in winter they move to sheltered lower ground and in summer to higher feeding areas (Mammal Society).
  • In the rut, stags defend groups of 10–15 hinds, sometimes up to 70, in roaring contests that can escalate to parallel walking and antler-locking (Mammal Society).
  • Scotland's red deer roughly doubled, from about 155,000 in 1959 to 300,000 in 1990 (Scottish Government review).

Moments worth waiting for

  • The rut September to November, dawn and dusk
    A stag stands rigid on the ridge, throws back his head and roars; the sound rolls across the glen while hinds huddle nearby.

Rare forms and local legends

  • White red deer A rare colour form, about 1 in 500 sightings
    Leucistic, not albino: its eyes are dark. White red deer are so rare that only a handful have been reported in the wild over the last few decades (British Deer Society).

Photo tip

Stalk with the wind in your face, and use a long lens on the ridge at first or last light in the rut. Shoot when stags are bellowing and breathing steam.

Be a good naturalist

Keep well back from rutting stags, which can charge (100 m or more is sensible). Stay off the hill during stalking season; check with the estate and follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

The law

Not a protected species, but subject to close seasons and licensing in Scotland (Deer (Scotland) Act 1996).

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