How do deer fight

Each of us can translate the meaning of a frown, smile, raised eyebrow, wink, or curled lip. Gestures also serve as substitutes for words. A shrug, nod, wave, beckoning motion, or various other hand signals transmit understandable messages. These are but a few examples of the many ways we speak to each other with our bodies. Body language also plays an important role in the communication system of the animal kingdom.

This nonverbal language may serve as a warning, an indication of submissiveness, or a way to attract the opposite sex. Bristling hair, bared teeth, and laidback ears are clear messages of warning, whether they are displayed by a coyote, javelina, porcupine, deer, dog, cat, or horse. An animal groveling on the ground, with its vulnerable belly or throat exposed, signals submissiveness, as does the canine slinking off with its tail tucked between its hind legs. Colorful feathered displays and body movements of some birds serve to attract mates and play an important role in their courtship rituals.

These are some of the different ways animals speak to each other with their bodies. Social relationships within a group of animals are well defined, and body language often is used to establish the hierarchy or peck order. Within a deer herd, for example, the most aggressive males dominate. Less dominant or inferior bucks usually give way without the necessity of physical conflict. At the beginning of the breeding season the males become more aggressive and conflicts are more frequent.

Biologists studying the aggressive behavior or deer have found that males display five intimidation postures—each more aggressive toward the adversary. The mildest display is called the ear drop. When the dominant buck drops its ears along its neck, the message may be sufficient to send the other deer on its way.

If not, the dominant buck then displays a hard look. The head and neck are extended and the ears are flattened along the neck as the buck glares at his adversary.

If the adversary responds with a hard look of his own, the dominant buck progresses to the sidle. Hence, this theory is likely not the primary reason for antlers either, although it is quite possibly a secondary reason. Since this is the final theory, and the prior three were discounted, we have a winner! Antlers in whitetails most likely evolved to be used for fighting other bucks. Antlers are the perfect structure to accommodate this style of fighting. If bucks were primarily trying to injure or kill other bucks, then they could do so at a much higher rate by attacking foes in the body rather than the head.

Fights among bucks are typically well choreographed and proceed through an escalating series of vocalizations and body posturing before reaching the fighting stage that nearly always begins with the bucks locking antlers prior to pushing each other click on the gallery below to see a series of photos of this escalation. Bucks first lock antlers and then use their body size, strength, and attitude to exert their dominance. He has a bachelor's degree in wildlife and fisheries science from Penn State University and a master's in wildlife from the University of New Hampshire.

He's also a certified taxidermist. Kip and his wife Amy have a daughter, Katie, and a son, Bo. Your support enables our mission: Ensuring the future of wild deer, wildlife habitat and hunting. You also receive four issues of our award-winning hunting magazine — Quality Whitetails!

Steve Demarais and Bronson Strickland from Mississippi State University, writing in the book Biology and Management of White-tailed Deer , the four theoretical functions of antlers are: Defend against predators, Display dominance to other bucks Display genetic quality to does Duel other bucks.

Defend Against Predators? Towards the end of one winter, there were two does of the same age, both raising twin bucks, in respective domains where their home ranges overlapped slightly. During the winter, with a dearth of rich food sources around, one of the does could frequently be seen aggressively posturing towards the other mother when she intruded into a core area of her territory.

Short chases often ensued as the dominant doe forced the intruder off her patch. In and around the bush-lines of the area I had a number of camera traps set up to record activity in some of the woody areas, frequented by the roe. And on checking the results one day, I could see that the camera had taken a sequence of shots recording a head-to-head tussle between the two does, just like that is observed between two bucks, when they battle minus the use of any headgear, of course.

The photos were of poor quality, but nonetheless showed an uncommon fight between two adult does, outside the breeding season. More questions and answers can be found at FAQ.

General information about deer can found at Deer Information. For photography tips go to Deer Photography. Why do deer fight? But the different sexes tussle for different reasons.