A deer’s life follows a particular pattern. During the summer, deer are often lazy and lounge around in one place they consider safe. Unless they’ve already set-up camp there, you are not as likely to encounter them wandering into your yard or causing damage to your property at this time because of their summer inactivity. But as we move into fall, this all changes and deer begin to roam far and wide.

During the summer the bucks saved up their energy and grew impressive racks of antlers for the fall mating season – called a “rut.” As the rut gets going, bucks will dig with their antlers, make gashes in trees and otherwise mark-up property as a sign to others that they are around. Because they are roaming much more widely and using their racks in this way, this is the season where most of the problems with people will occur.

Bucks also become a lot more aggressive in general in the fall. Their testosterone levels spike in the fall because they need to challenge other bucks for mates. A specific breeding hierarchy is established in the early fall as bucks lock antlers and spar to determine who is the alpha male. The top bucks will get to breed with the most does. Even after this pecking order is established though, the buck will need to literally chase down the doe before she will mate with him. All of this means the rutting season in the fall will have a lot of very active, and often aggressive, deer wandering North Carolina.

Deer should not be approached in this season, even though in other seasons they tend to be much more docile animals. Because they are fattening up for the rut and for winter, keep an eye out for vegetation that could be attractive to them. Deer especially love acorns but also eat other plant-based foods like crops and leafy greens. If you see signs of a buck, like digging in the ground or scars on a tree, don’t be alarmed. The deer are on the move so they likely were just passing through.

You do not generally have anything to fear from deer, but it is still smart not to interact with them much in the fall. By the winter, the bucks will be exhausted and their testosterone levels will plummet, making them much less confrontational. Their large racks of antlers fall off in the winter too, eliminating their main tool for mayhem. If there is a deer on your property that is causing trouble for you, your children or your pets, give us a call and we will help determine the best course of action.

Call Critter Control of the Triangle in Raleigh, NC and Durham at 919.382.0651 or our contact page for more information or help with animal removal, cleanup and more.