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Antlers at dawn: Killarney’s red deer rut

Bellowing red deer stag Killarney

Sean O’Callaghan of Kerry’s Wild Side gives us the low-down on one of the most testosterone-charged events in the Irish wildlife calendar: the annual red deer rut at Killarney National Park in County Kerry. Each autumn as the first of the winter chills set in and the summer’s dying leaves….

Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)

Red Deer Stag Vivian Wynne Philips

In late September and early October the signature roar of red deer stags (males) echoes around the woods and mountains of Killarney National Park in Co. Kerry, signalling the start of the autumn rut. Our only native deer, the red deer was once common throughout the country, but a combination….