Charged by a Stag

ElmerThud · Nov 15, 2015

This isn't a new thing really, but during the rutting season it's not unknown to be charged by stags while they 'look after' their ladies. Caution is required while stalking during this period.

Personally, I have been charged three times over my thirty years deer stalking and fortunately, each time, the stag recognised I was a 'people/human' rather than another stag. Twice, the charge was from a short distance and so fast I'd barely have had time to get a shot off before the stag veered off back into trees. The third time, the stag was on a hillside in the open, but veered off into 'dead ground' out of sight. It gets the blood pumping though!

I have also been with friends who have glassed stags in the distance some 500+ yards and then using either their hands or a 'call trumpet' roared them in. On one occasion John roared a stag from around half a mile distant. The stag ran directly at John who'd positioned himself so that when the stag on a full charge came into direct view in front of him and stopped some thirty yards away, he fired the shot and dropped the stag on the spot with an accurately placed neck shot.

It's definitely an exciting time during the rut, but now that I'm older and much less fit, being charged is certainly something to avoid. You don't usually get any notice a charge is about to happen and of course it is extremely dangerous, with injury or death strong possibilities.
I've only read about those occurences in the papers, but I know that stags in the rut are without doubt unpredictable and humans as much a target as another stag.
Cheers, ET

DrMike · Nov 15, 2015

Elk, and I'm certain stags as well, can definitely cover a bit of ground in a hurry. Who knows what they are thinking (or not thinking) when they are in rut.

A couple of years past I had a bull elk answer a bugle, charging from ~750 yards. The account of that charge has been written up and published on this site. I dropped him at 75 yards simply when he paused in confusion. It was quite dramatic to witness his advance, bugling all the way.. I've seen numerous elk come at a run to within 50 yards or so; it was obvious in those instances that they were responding to the bugle. My closest call, however, was while living in Jasper, Alberta. A large bull charged from about 100 yards across a baseball diamond. I and a friend had wandered too close to his ladies, apparently. The charge was swift and dramatic and totally unprovoked. All that stood between me and the elk at about five yards was a light standard. I was armed with a couple of pieces of mail that I had just retrieved. It is quite dramatic. Soon after putting me behind a light standard, he returned to his game of baseball or whatever it was he was playing.

ElmerThud · Nov 15, 2015

Well Dr Mike, your bull elk is rather larger than a Scottish red stag & I certainly wouldn't cherish the thought of being in the way of any charge these days. Although, you just never know when out on the land what may happen, nor when. Goes with the territory though doesn't it..LOL :lol:

DrMike · Nov 15, 2015

ElmerThud":2fog6o1g said:
You just never know when out on the land what may happen, nor when. Goes with the territory though doesn't it..LOL :lol:

True dat. It assures the quality that we yearn for and which keeps us going back for more. When the day comes that I'm unable to go out amongst the animals, I'll be truly impoverished and deprived of something quite precious.

Thankful Otter · Nov 15, 2015

DrMike said:
Elk, and I'm certain stags as well, can definitely cover a bit of ground in a hurry. Who knows what they are thinking (or not thinking) when they are in rut.

I want to say something here----but I wont (-:

Muskox are another animal that has an en interesting mating dance/ritual