Let the Sparing Begin
Dynamic Antlers and Bold Chests
Deer Mountain is the center of much in Rocky Mountain National Park. It is at the intersection where Highways 36 and 34 extend as Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous highway in the United States. From the hiking trail up Deer Mountain to just over 10,000 ft., the views of RMNP and Estes Park are spectacular pulling the beauty into a 360 degree panoramic.
While there’s no official record of how the name Deer Mountain came about, there are mule deer on Deer Mountain, lots of them. The drive up Highway 36 from Beaver Meadows to the Deer Mountain Junction can create many chances to see wildlife, particularly mule deer bucks during the fall rut.
I like that drive because I’m from Iowa. In Iowa, we have white-tailed deer. While common, catching a glimpse of a trophy buck is not so common. So when I see a big, beautiful 7x7 mule deer buck and capture the shot, I post it on social media so all of my Iowa friends can see. I know they are jealous of the image I’ve captured on my camera.
This is my favorite time of year to drive along Deer Mountain. For some reason, the bucks tend to come to the lower elevations to feed. Close to the road, I imagine they are proud of their bold chests, dynamic antlers, and dominance demonstrated over younger bucks. The rut is when the big boys come out to strut, displaying their overtures of seduction for the does.
Distinct in their features, mule deer have very large, wide ears that resemble a mule's, and they have a large white rump with a thin tail ending in a black tip. The buck’s antlers branch evenly meaning the main beam splits into two branches, and each branch can split again. Unlike whitetails, a mule deer pushes off the ground and lands with all four feet at the exact same time creating a hopping motion. Generally larger, they average about 50 pounds more than their whitetailed cousins in Iowa.
Prior to the turn of the 19th Century, heavy hunting combined with human settlement and predators, caused numbers to plummet. By 1895, very few mule deer remained in the Estes Park region. When RMNP was established, the subsequent hunting of wolves eliminating the main predators allowed the mule deer population to surge. By the 1930s, the park's mule deer population peaked at an estimated 2,500 animals. Today, several hundred mule deer reside in RMNP.
This time of year, they are fun to watch. With peak breeding activity happening around mid-November, in early November there is playful sparring with younger bucks challenging the bold, big guys to test their strength and stamina.
Sometimes you can catch this activity along Deer Mountain. The deer seem accustomed to visitors, unaffected by photographers with big lenses squatting at eye level along the side of the road. The bucks are not terribly interested in smiling for the camera, as they are building their strength, challenging each other with the sound of clattering antlers.
During the rut, mule deer bucks develop a larger, thicker neck, chest, and shoulder area primarily due to a massive surge in testosterone. I’ve captured several images of deer sparing, their noses touching, their foreheads pressing downward. Shoving, pushing, and locking antlers, the bucks test each other's strength to determine who ranks higher in the mating social order. Dominant bucks earn the right to receptive does, while lesser bucks are pushed to the edges of the group.
Last fall, I had an amazing opportunity. Near Deer Mountain, I saw a dynamic buck prancing and dancing as a doe continued to move away. He was obviously interested, and she was not running nor welcoming.
I managed to wander into the field squatting behind a large boulder as camouflage. There my camera lens pointed toward the buck capturing the activity. At first he moved, chest high in a bold way as if encouraging female behavior while singing Luke Bryan’s song, “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)." The doe wasn’t in a singing mood and kept moving about, so the big buck tried a different strategy…cuddling. He walked up to her, his neck heavy with large antlers, and rested his head over hers. It was as if he was whispering in her ear.
Then it happened. The doe, as if smiling, didn’t move. The buck sensed the message, and in his quest for her, they mated. I lowered my camera, smiled at nature’s romance. Quietly, I returned to my car driving back down the road along Deer Mountain. I had captured beautiful mule deer images with nature at her best.
