Under the moonlight, or on bright summer nights, you might be fortunate enough to see a majestic silhouette of deer grazing beyond the safety of the forest.
For the best chances of spotting deer, explore the open fields along Vejers Havvej. Drive north towards Børsmose via Råsøvej, and continue on Urkokvej and Kærgårdsvej up to Grærup Langsø. During twilight, dusk, and night, deer frequently graze on the grasslands east of the lake. It’s not uncommon to see up to 50 deer in the early morning or late evening. During the day, these animals often rest and chew their cud in the dense willow thickets by the lake. On some days, large herds of deer, numbering up to 150-200, can be seen near the road east of Langsø.
Top Spots for Deer Viewing:
- Observation Tower on Grærup Havvej: Near Grærup Langsø, offering excellent vantage points.
- Southwest End of Filsø: Near the parking area at Nørre Enge in Kærgård.
- Redningsvej Area in Blåbjerg Klitplantage: A prime location for deer sightings.
These locations are all easily accessible with a short drive from Vejers.
For a truly memorable experience, consider taking a walk just after sunset or before sunrise. These times often provide the most breathtaking wildlife encounters.
Winter
During the dark winter months, you need to keep a keen eye out to spot the majestic red deer. Their summer reddish-brown coats are replaced with grayer hues, and their fur thickens to help them stay warm.
With scarce food available in the cold, barren ground, you’ll mostly find these animals in the coniferous forests during the day. Here, they feed on the shoots of conifer trees and dig in the forest floor for anemone tubers, which are rich in nutrients.
Under the moonlight, you might catch a glimpse of these large creatures grazing outside the safety of the forest. At night, red deer come out to consume the remaining grass and heather after winter. As the sun’s tired rays begin to climb over the eastern horizon, these shy creatures retreat to the safety of the coniferous forest.
Red deer are seen in separate herds, known as "herds" for red deer. If you spot one near the edge of the forest, there are likely more nearby.
The females, called hinds, and their calves form their own herds, led by an experienced and wise hind.
The males, on the other hand, form smaller, leaderless herds. There is a clear hierarchy among them – the strongest are at the top, and the youngest are at the bottom.
Winter is also when male deer shed their antlers. New antlers start to grow from February. If you’re lucky, you might find one of the antlers from a stag in the forest floor or heath, serving as a lasting reminder of the West Coast’s incredible nature. If left behind, the antlers are not wasted, as rodents and other small animals love to feast on them. In fact, the forest creatures are so fond of the stag’s antlers that they are often gone before the spring sun starts to warm the forest floor.
Spring
In spring, not only do plants and trees start to bloom, but the stag's new antlers also begin to grow, preparing to be large and impressive for the autumn rut.
As antlers grow, they are covered in a soft, velvet-like skin filled with blood vessels. If you spot the king of the forest with his fuzzy antlers at this time of year, there’s nothing wrong – his antlers are simply growing bigger and more beautiful than the previous year.
A stag’s antlers grow larger each year until they peak at around eight to twelve years of age. At this stage, the antlers can weigh over ten kilograms and have more than 20 points, which are the tips of the antlers.
Even though the antlers grow larger each year, you cannot use the number of points to determine the age of the stag.
During your forest walks, you’ll also notice trees with bark stripped away. As the sap begins to flow again after winter’s chill, it loosens the bark. The clever deer take advantage of this, as they enjoy chewing on the bark – either to fill their stomachs or out of sheer boredom. This can be problematic for the defenseless trees, as deer may strip so much bark that the trees eventually die. This is how nature reveals its raw face in the otherwise beautiful landscape of the West Coast.
Summer
In the summer sun, the red deer’s coat regains its beautiful reddish-brown color. The dull, gray winter coat is shed, and the hinds prepare to welcome their new calves. The calves are born in May and June, just in time to grow strong before winter’s cold sets in and before the hinds are ready to mate with their chosen stag during the autumn rut.
In summer, red deer feed on the many herbs that the sun’s rays have coaxed out in the spring. However, under the cover of darkness, red deer might sneak into farmers’ fields, enjoying a feast of crops with great delight. After all, who doesn’t love a lavish buffet of grain and beets?
In August, stags prepare for the rut by "cleaning" their antlers against the trees and bushes in the forest. The antlers have reached their full size, and the velvety skin that nourishes the antlers needs to be removed. The stag accomplishes this by scraping his antlers against his surroundings, leaving them impressive and ready to impress both hinds and humans.
Autumn
In September and October, the roar of the stags fills the forests around Vejers as the rutting season begins. Whereas stags usually stay in small herds throughout the year, they now face off against each other. Mature stags establish their own rutting territories, trying to gather a "harem" of hinds.
During the rut, stags closely monitor their harems and check the hinds regularly to see if they are ready to mate. When they are, he mates with them immediately. Rival stags lurk in the shadows at the edges of his territory, trying to lure the hinds away or mate with them if the opportunity arises. Thus, it is crucial for a stag to constantly guard its territory.
If rivals are strong enough, they may attempt to take over the entire territory and harem. If this happens, the original stag must fight to drive the challenger away. The battles can be so fierce that they may result in death for the losing stag. As Darwin described – the strongest survive, even on Denmark's wild West Coast.
