Roe deer fighting

[the prowler]

Is it normal to see two roe deer fighting? Saw two bucks having a good run about fighting on the golf course 18th of April. Thinking they could maybe be brothers??? Born a couple of years ago? I thought they only fight around the rutt! Anyway I bagged both with the 6ppc and a fox later on.
Anyone seen this before. Ive shot loads of roe, but no expert on their behavior.

 

[the prowler]

 

[slider]

Perfectly normal. If perhaps a little early in the year. They fight to establish dominance and territory

 

[Mr. Gain]

My impression is that roe populations are very much a community, and as such, they are constantly developing their sense of their own, and others' present and potential positions within that community. I'm sure the months they spend bevvied up in the winter play an important role, but when hormone levels rise in the spring, fuelled by better nutrition, the bucks especially begin testing out their reciprocal assumptions about fitness, stamina and dominance. I have seen congregations in late March / early April in which does gather round to watch a group of bucks sparring. In short, preparation for each summer's rut occupies the greater part of the year, and extends across a lifetime. Also, whilst I haven't observed it in roe deer, I have seen muntjac fathers teaching their sons to fight.

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

This time of year the fighting will be territorial one back cocking his leg up one post and then another buck trying to cock his leg on the same post and that doesn’t work in there way of the world, you’ll always see in the winter groups of roe, big bucks come and go within those groups only the young Bucks tend to stay close.

 

[Camdig]

Managed a buck yesterday morning he was one of four fighting over an area, for the next few weeks Roe buck stalking will be the most productive as they range about looking for territory.
An interesting thing happened to me yesterday something i hadn't seen before, where I gralloched the buck and buried the gralloch 1m into the ground, about an hour later I watched from about 400m away a buck inspected the area for about 20mins never seen this before.

 

[mudman]

Well I would say a genuine fight is a rare event. I spend a lot of time and about and never seen two bucks going at it big time. I’ve seen some gentle sparring and lots of chasing but never a full on scrap.

 

[Mr. Gain]

I've only seen a full-on fight once, and only caught the end of it. It turned out my companion had been watching them for minutes (while I covered a different arc) but hadn't thought to tug at my sleeve (a grudge I may bear to my grave). Anyway, you would have thought they were reds from the way they were going at it. This was at last light. I went back the next morning. The deer were nowhere to be seen, but the field was all gouges and divots where they had been.

 

[Nickb]

Very normal at this time of year , territorial aggression.

 

[Deerkeeper2]

Here is a video I took a few years ago.

 

[Nickb]

Here is a video I took a few years ago.

Very interesting, thanks for sharing

 

[Sol]

I witnessed two bucks going at it chasing each other at the end of April last year soon as they come out of velvet establishing territory becomes there focus, unless you've got a huge buck density too does, I feel like you have more chance too see them fighting in April/March rather than July/August by the time there breeding they've pretty well sorted everything out for us at least.

First one was shot at 80 yards with a suitable backstop, second deer was NOT shot for obvious reasons.

Cant say I seen that buck again however there was a suspected medal head missed and I also went on too take a 370g 38lb buck so I suspect bullied off.

 

[the prowler]

Definitely nice seeing them fighting. Unfortunately the farmer wants venison burgers. So they had to go.

 

[sako751sg]

As said very common and May would be peak for proper tear ups and then again rut can be savage.
Still getting 2 and 3 bucks tolerating each other on the cameras which they can all year and usually only gets out of hand when one of them pushes back against the natural order.
Recorded this a good few years back and went on for near an hour in total and was great to watch.Was at a fair distance so very grainy and both bucks were fine after it with one just backing off and going on his merry way,to be shot a wee bit later.

 

[Mickeydredd]

about an hour later I watched from about 400m away a buck inspected the area for about 20mins never seen this before.

I had similar last month after shooting a mature buck from a mixed group in a silage field, the other deer scattered to around 150 yards away. I took him from the shot site over the fence into a woodland area to gralloch and extract him. As I finished the gralloch a mature doe walked back to the cleared shot site stamping a front foot and scenting as she approached.

I shot her too.