Fallow Deer Rut

I was up early and for a change visited Cannock Chase to check on the fallow deer rut.  This will typically happen in a conservation area on the northern edge of the Chase and there was certainly plenty of activity before dawn.  The roaring of the bucks and occasional sound of antlers clashing were clearly audible in the old quarry, now fenced off as a conservation area. The signs clearly ask people to keep out, though there were several places where the picket fence had fallen over allowing easy access.  This gets worse each year, probably a clear sign of the lack of funds for the countryside team at the County Council.

I didn't take advantage of the gaps, instead walking along the outside in the hope of seeing the activity.  Frustratingly, though I saw this buck, there were no others around and certainly no rutting within view.  I did get some other shots at much higher ISOs, but because the site is within a quarry with high walls to the east, the sun did not penetrate until later in the morning, by which time the dog walkers had caused the deer to head deep into the copses of trees that now spread across the area.