A Guide to Roaring Stags

But let’s not fancy it up – you ain't there for the tranquility! Somewhere nearby is a large four-legged beast, belly covered in mud, wet nose sniffing the air, practising his fighting skills on a pepperwood tree, smashing it to bits with the sharpened daggers he carries on his head. The guttural roar of a Red stag at close quarters is so deafening it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

You know that he's there somewhere. But the stag also knows where you are, in fact he knows the exact spot where you're standing, he’s stood there himself many times before. Even if you think you've been stealthy, he heard your boot crack a twig and followed your movements with his ears. He knows all the trails passing through, he knows where the dense scrub sections are and all the guts and depressions. He knows the smells of the bush and the direction of the breeze.

The game is on! The odds are stacked in favour of the stag however and it’s most likely that he will crash away before you even get a glimpse. But with a mixture of cunning, patience and luck, you might find yourself in the right place at the right time to stand face to face with a rutting bush stag.

Now let’s step back from this scene and look at the bigger picture.