The Deer Hunter - deer-rutting season

Deer Hunter The

The deer rutting season has become an attraction in itself in Killarney National Park. Photographer John Burke explains what it means to him.

As October approaches, preparations begin for the annual pilgrimage to the beautiful Lakes of Killarney. Equipment is checked, weather forecasts monitored on a daily basis and phone calls and emails are made to every contact in Kerry as to the movement of the stags. All wildlife photographers are waiting for just one phrase: “It’s starting!” This coming year will be my 10th time to capture the thrill of the rut. For me, it’s been a yearly adventure on multiple weekends trying to capture the magnificence of the red deer living in or around Killarney National Park. As with all nature photography, there is a great deal of anticipation. Sometimes you get that perfect shot. Another day they all hide deep in the forest, and you see very little. For me personally, that’s the fun of it. If all I wanted to do is take a picture of an animal, then I’d go to the zoo. But to capture the stags, the hinds, bucks and fawns in their own environment, makes it so worthwhile. Each year brings its own rewards. One year I’ll shoot a herd in the lake. Another, it’ll be rutt after rut. On a wet year, I take some shots over the river into the woods and see the stag bellowing and waiting for a reply. Once you enter the Park from St Mary’s Cathedral end, that wonderful sight of the mountains in front and the call of the stags reignites the heart. Photographers are easily spotted. Lots of camera gear, camouflaged

from head to toe for the true experts. Wellies and a raincoat for us others, but the thrill is the same, the luck of being at the right place at the right time, wishing you could cover each corner of the Park. It's early morning by the lakeside for the wonderful light as a herd might pass by. 9am fights breaking out before it gets too warm for the stags. Again, in the late afternoon, as the herd moves back up through the Park, stags cross paths and steal the herds from each other. This repeats many times in a single day. In the first year or two, there were only a dozen photographers in the Park. Charlie, Timothy, Jim, Vivian, Tony, Clodagh, many good friends I’ve made wandering around. Not forgetting retired Park Ranger and expert photographer Peter O’Toole of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) who has guided us all over the years on the movements, behaviours, and our responsibilities around such graceful creatures. In recent years the number of photographers has grown exponentially, and with it some threats to the natural behaviour of the deer. It is important to remember this is their breeding season and not to interfere. Some wander into the fields or too close to the herds, disrupting their normal routines. Others have been seen approaching fighting stags, a recipe for disaster. Once a rut begins, a stag sees only red. A charging stag may go in any direction. There is always an element of danger, but it is minimalised by following the instructions of the authorities and staying on the approved paths. Long lenses and keeping your distance is the key.

John Burke