When do stags fight?

Stags, the red deer of Europe, fight in autumn and winter for possession of the females or does. Most stags are polygamous and collect harems. A stag wishing to add to its harem at the expense of another’s will challenge it s rival to a duel.

At other times stags are prone to solitary wandering. But when the breeding season arrives, their fighting instincts are aroused. Occasionally the stags’ antlers become so firmly interlocked in combat that they cannot free themselves. In such cases the battle ends with the deaths of both contestants from starvation.