In summer, the coats of these attractive and impressive animals are a bright, chestnut brown. In the fall, the deer grow waterproof guard hairs, which turn their coats much darker. Wild herds are found in forests and parkland throughout their range. Forests are the red deer s natural habitat. Where the forest has been cleared, the deer move onto open land.
Some deer live on open land year round, others retreat to wooded glens in the worst winter weather.
Red deer are primarily grazing animals. They feed on grass by cutting it between their sharp lower incisor teeth and their hard upper gums. They also have strong teeth in their cheeks that enable them to eat twigs in the winter, when grass is scarce. The autumn mating season, called the rut, is the time when the dominant stags challenge and fight one another for access to the females. Several of the successful stags, corner a group of 30-40 females, called hinds, and will mate with each sexually mature member as she comes into season.