Saaremaa trailcam picks up drunk men's 'raid' on deer feeding site, theft of antler
A trailcam captured a pair of men who, apparently worse for the wear from beer, opted to scavenge a shed antler from a feeding site operated by the state forestry commission, the RMK, Maaleht reported.
Stags shed their antlers primarily due to hormonal changes that occur after the rutting season, which comes in fall.
The livestream is taken by a trailcam in Tehurmardi, in the south of Estonia's largest island, and footage shows that at 1 a.m. on March 15, two men appeared at the site, visibly intoxicated; one of the men eventually finds a deer antler on the ground - a stag named Hugo had shed the antler the previous day – and the two men grab that item before staggering out of view.
The RMK deer camera project, as well as naturalists, have strongly urged people not to take shed antlers, as these are collected and displayed and also provide information on the size and health of the deer herd.
In 2023, for instance, RMK hunting specialist Uno managed to collect as many as 11 shed antlers from the area around the feeding site, which has been broadcasting the activities of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in real time for its 13 seasons now.
Dusk is the time the animals, rather than inebriated Homo sapiens, are seen at the site: Stags, hinds, and calves alike, and given that food is on offer, other wildlife unsurprisingly makes its way into the camera's viewfinder at times too - including foxes and even wolves.
Stags begin shedding their antlers at this time of year; older animals with large crowns shed first, while younger individuals may carry their simpler antlers through to as late as April; a mature and strong stag usually has at least five points on one antler, which can weigh in excess of 2 kilograms.
Once old antlers are shed, new ones begin to grow almost immediately, initially soft and covered with a velvet-like skin, and growth rates can be up to several centimeters per day.
This growth ossifies by the end of summer, and the stags can be seen rubbing off the "skin" against vegetation.
After stags shed their antlers due to declining testosterone in winter, rising spring testosterone triggers rapid regrowth so they're ready for the autumn rut.
The RMK deercam livestream is here and in the embed below, and runs until April.
--
Editor: Andrew Whyte
Source: Delfi
