Hello all, I'm just back from 3 glorious weeks in bonny Scotland & I was lucky enough to be there when the stags started rutting & I had to film them one night!

But you have to use your imagination, my video camera doesn't have night vision but boy does it pick up the sound really well.

At Kinloch Rannoch, the second week in Scotland, we could hear the stags bellowing out every night & so one night around 11pm, my Dad & I went for a walk down the lane in the darkness & I recorded their sound - from their bellowing to their clashing of antlers, not to mention the odd Tawny Owl, dog howling & ducks quacking on Dunalistor water. At one point, about 3 mins into the film we were only 100 yards from two Stags. Simon King, eat your heart out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qeu1txHZgnQ

Glad you had a good time. It must have been amazing to be there when they were rutting, it must be one of the most spectacular wildlife events in the UK at any time of year.

The sound is brilliant, its not hard to use your imagination and conjure up images of the deer crashing into each other. And to get so close to them must have been unbelievable! Was there a clear winner in the one you saw or was it too dark to make out the details?

That is wonderful! Thank you for getting out there and recording it, too.

Kingfisher

It was too dark to make it out - but I've been told that if you're a stag, the louder bellow you have the more triumphant you are & I think the really loud guy was the winner!

Out of all the sounds I captured, the third to last sound sends shivers down my spine as he was moving away & you can hear his voice echoing over the hills!

Thanks for posting the video/sound clip. I agree that the loudest does sound very happy with himself, and it is haunting just listening to a recording of it!