Losing Velvet

A detour passed the area where I often see deer and I wasn't disappointed with this and two others in the local field.  He is beginning to lose the velvet of his antlers.

I bumped into the local game keeper while I was photographing the stags.  He's previously been quite wary of me but this time spent a few minutes chatting about the herd.  Apparently it is growing to a point where it will again be unsustainable in the area.  This inevitably means there will be a cull at some point.  I found it interesting that he told me they don't take out the mature stags when a cull takes place.  I know we have some very regal monarch stags in the herd, though I haven't seen any in recent months.

It will soon be the start of the rut and it tends to be this and an adjoining field where most of the action takes place.  I'll be keeping an eye out for any action.

A relatively quiet day.  I visited a builders merchants to look at some composite decking.  Our current wooden deck is beginning to rot in places and it is time for it to be replaced.  I only hope I can remove the old wooden decking without doing too much damage to the sub frame as I am unlikely to be able to unscrew the boards after so long.