"ARNOLD VS ELVIS"

Mule Deer (Males) - 10 Photos

I first saw "Elvis" a few weeks ago exiting a woods, following one of the does in his harem. Then I spotted him again this weekend with exactly the same doe & youngster grouping (Photo #6 through to Photo #10).

The next day I spotted a stag in the same area but this time there were only two does & youngsters. At first I thought it was Elvis (so named because of his consistent "lip curl") and I hadn't spotted all the herd members. But then he stood up - oh my!

There was no way within 24 hours, could a stag size up to this level. Arnold (and one might guess why I named this particular stag, "Arnold"), is certainly a bruiser size wise. He basically has no neck and an even more impressive rack of antlers. Perhaps there were more members in his herd but out of sight. However, with that casual sauntering demeanor, Arnold did not appear to be concerned over the immediate lack of ladies (Photo #1 through to Photo #5). 

With Autumn generally comes a battle of the mature male deer. Perhaps, he doesn't have youth on his side but if I was a betting person, I would be putting my money on Arnold. When it comes to the pushing & shoving of two stags, that bulk and strength will definitely put Arnold ahead of the game and a strong contender for all the ladies.

ARNOLD

PHOTO #1

PHOTO #2

PHOTO #3

PHOTO #4

PHOTO #5

ELVIS

PHOTO #6

PHOTO #7

PHOTO #8

PHOTO #9

PHOTO #10