ARSENE'S PACK - Predatory action

For many weeks now, we've been focusing on the use of our thermal vision, i.e. "shooting" mainly during the night. In fact, at that time, a very propitious period was just beginning : the deer rutting season. During the rut, the deer's behavior changes, causing them to gather in larger numbers and over much smaller perimeters than usual. Male deer and does come together from all over the region in an area known as the "bellowing place". With a 1000-fold increase in testosterone, the male loses some of its natural distrust for the sake of a certain boldness, the herds are more visible and there's more movement, especially at night. This makes it easier to film intra/inter-species interactions, as the gathering of the prey species also attracts the predator. It's also a very interesting time of year to work, as the background sounds are particularly pleasant and buccolic, for those who like it for sure.

We did establish 5-6 observation sites, based on deer movements and numbers, the most visually appropriate locations and the monitoring data we obtained. These sites are spread throughout the pack's territory, mainly in areas of high visitor numbers and coinciding with areas where deer are present. 

On this particular evening, we chose a more secluded spot, where we had previously set up a fixed stalking post. This allows us to blend into the background unnoticed, but also serves to protect us. Although deer aren't dangerous animals, not deliberately attacking humans, their hormonal state and tensions cause them to fight, race to escape or charge a fellow stag, and this can be a problem if we're on the escape trail and the animal, too busy with activity or hormones, doesn't see us. For their own safety, we would advise people not to go out to "bellowing places" in the middle of the night, nor to camp there. Few people are aware that deer breeding is an extremely sensitive period. Any disturbance caused by curious onlookers or nature lovers unaware of the dangers, both for themselves and for the animal, can have negative effects on the birth rate, but can also drive animals into hunting areas or exhaust them unnecessarily, leading to death in the event of an early or particularly harsh winter. We recommend that people stay on specially designated areas and paths, use equipment for observing from a distance (binoculars or spotting scopes) and listen without falling into our society's worst drift : "the selfie mania", which is a total utopia. 

Hunting can also modify the behavior of prey species, and they learn from it. Today, in some places, deer only come out after dark, knowing that they are safer from humans. It's becoming increasingly rare to observe the intra-species interactions of rutting deer outside of the night-time period, or by going to very remote places, not invaded by crowds of curious onlookers, or in protected areas.

Once all the tourists and nature lovers have gone home, and night has fallen on the forests and pastures, we head off to our observation post, warmly dressed and recharged with food and batteries. During our nights on the lookout, we are very close to the deer, which often come within 5 to 20m of our position. These are very intense moments, both in terms of sound and, above all, in terms of learning how animal species work. We've already filmed a number of intra/inter-species interactions involving deer. We'll soon be doing an article on the subject, with previously unpublished videos to share with you the inside story of this key time of year, which has become a phenomenon that draws in the crowds.

During that night, settled in our "spot", we spend 2 hours with a herd of around 20 does and fawns, including an imposing stag. He never stops bellowing, pursuing the females for a possible mating, sniffing the air with the famous "Flehmen" phenomenon (1) and bringing back those who try to stray. He doesn't stop for a moment, obsessed by his hormones and warning the other males in the area that he's the boss here. The does and fawns eventually lie down, but are often relieved by the stag's insistence. To our right, we hear the sound of a running animal, less than 15m away. We avert our thermal vision and discover a young deer, chased by a larger one, coming with a bang, stopping 10m from our observation spot. He observes and ends up heading away from the herd, quite logically. We return to the herd, in apparent calm. All of a sudden, it's running away - we get it immediately ! We frantically search for the source, which we know has a tail, 4 legs and belongs to the predator family : the wolf. We manage to film him running behind the herd, for some twenty meters, before everything is obscured by a mound.

The predation then stops immediately, and we see the herd stop its run and climb quietly. The stag forms a screen between the wolf and its females, an impressive and dissuasive bulwark. In fact, the wolf failed to provoke what he was looking for by launching the attack with a surprise effect : a mistake by a weaker individual (physically/intellectually/inexperienced) who wouldn't leave fast enough, would separate from the herd, would make THE wrong choice that would allow the predator to succeed in his hunt. This was not the case that evening : the herd remained very compact, and the attempt lasted no more than 15-20 seconds, the wolf having calculated the cost/benefit ratio. The predator came out of the mound at the same point and passed within 20m of our position, trotting along and sniffing the ground quietly. At one point, it picked up the scent of our scent, which the wind brought him, stopped, then escaped our vision by climbing to the very top of the pasture.

For reasons of data confidentiality, we won't show the entire predatory action phase on the video below. Contrary to what is often said here and there, it's clear that wolves do not cause their wild prey immense stress or unreasonable, unbearable fear. In the wild, as we already explained, they quickly get to know the predator, immediately spotting signs and behaviors and knowing how to interpret them. They have the weapons they need to anticipate or avoid the attack. And the proof is that only 10 to 49% of attempts are successful for the wolf, which goes to show just how difficult it is for the predator, and how likely it is for the prey. In fact, less than 10 minutes after the attempted attack, the deer and some of its does were back in the area, the male even allowing itself a little nap, as stealthy as the wolf's attack. His frenzy continued throughout the night...

These inter-species interactions are very instructive, and show the difference between popular beliefs and myths, and the reality of nature. Nature has never been gentle, but it provides every species with the physical and intellectual weapons it needs to survive and ensure the continuity of its descendants.

We are happy to share with you some images of this hunting action and wolf passing within 20 meters of us.

See you soon for some news of Arsene's pack !

Dictionary

(1) Flehmen: to detect the pheromones emitted by does in heat, males roll up their upper lip to impregnate their Jacobson's vomeronasal organ located on the roof of their mouth.
- Jacobson's organ: olfactory organ of tetrapod (four-limbed) vertebrates, opening at the roof of the mouth.

Article : TT - Wolf Mission
Video : Wolf Mission
Photos : Pietro Santucci & Parc Ste-Croix

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