Why is the open season for Red Deer restricted to the months of June and July each year?
The open season avoids the peak breeding period for Red Deer when stags are particularly vulnerable and avoids any disruption to mating, which may affect productivity. Red Deer have a short rutting (mating) period that lasts only three to four weeks, beginning in late March/early April. Most hinds give birth to single young in November or December after an eight-month gestation period. Stags cast their antlers during September and October and regrow them by mid-February.
