Photo Story: An unforgettable encounter with the majestic Red deer stag in Hiiumaa island
- herverannu
- Nov 5
- 6 min read
From August to October it is generally my busiest time in terms of photography, because there are endless opportunities to take photos in Estonian nature. Misty bog mornings are in full swing, the northern lights season with the starry sky and with the Milky Way is back. Golden autumn colors are also not far away. Every year I try to experience it all a bit. In the midst of all these magical events, there is another remarkable event in nature that I have been able to experience and photograph for the last 4 years - the red deer rut season. This is a time when I dive deeper into the world of animals that I usually don't photograph very much. The red deer rutting season is somehow a very special event for me, where I pack my photography equipment and travel to Hiiumaa to photograph this magnificent event. I go there because of the high red deer population, but what makes it even more special is that I really like Hiiumaa and life there somehow goes at its own different rhythm. Besides photography you can also go fishing, take a sauna, and simply enjoy this special environment. If things go particularly well, you can also enjoy the northern lights and the fantastic starry sky, because Hiiumaa is the place with one of the lowest light pollution levels in Estonia. This year I was photographing red deer in Hiiumaa for the 5th year in a row. I had 3 mornings and 3 evenings to find these powerful animals on depths of the forest. For the first time I had the opportunity to capture the entire event with such a high-quality lens as the SIGMA 300-600mm F/4 DG OS | Sports. At the end of February this year this amazing piece of gear was released. As a SIGMA Nordic ambassador I had the honor of being invited to the SIGMA headquarters in Tokyo, where many other interesting things were announced in addition to this lens. It was a big and important day for SIGMA. Also for me, because before, Japan was a distant dream for me, which suddenly became a reality. Half a year later, I was able to use the lens for a short time and take it with me to the red deer rut in Hiiumaa.
Not much action during the first days
The first two mornings and evenings were relatively calm. I kept scouting in the same place because there were roars from the deer and I saw photo potential there. In the morning, however, it tended to get quiet quickly. In the evenings, when the main hustle and bustle started, it was already too dark to take photos. In more difficult lighting conditions, one morning I managed to conjure up one decent photo and that was it.
By the end of that morning, I had accumulated nearly 16,000 steps, which were collected by walking in various forest areas and along the edges of fields. However, I wanted to get a few close-up shots of the red deer stag. I still had one evening and morning left and I didn't really feel confident at all. I didn't have a photo that I was completely satisfied with and unsatisfied thoughts slowly started to circulate in my head. At the same time, I knew that you never know what will happen in nature and there have been situations in previous years where I have taken my best photos on the last morning. Before going on a hike on the last evening, however, I received information from my friends friend that in one of their lands, there were stags with considerable antlers out and there was also plenty of roaring. I decided on a new spot and got there a few hours before sunset.
The incredible moment that changed everything
When I got there, I looked at the map and started planning where exactly I would position myself at the edge of the field. At the same time, I thought about where the deer could come out of the forest into the field. I started moving quietly and soon I could see animal tracks next to the ditch at the edge of the field. I walked on and soon the first roars could be heard, but they were coming from a very far distance. This was followed by another long silence. I noticed several times that walking like this was like the ultimate level of being in the moment. You are so focused on what you are doing all the time and you listen to what is happening around you. Does anyone make a sound somewhere? In the meantime, you stop and listen more carefully and then you move on again. As if you were in some ultimate phase of concentration.
After about 30 minutes, I was at the other end of the field. Since this part of the field was also connected to a larger forest clearing, my thoughts wandered that perhaps the deer were moving more actively along this trajectory. I saw a lot of tracks in that part of the field. I decided that I didn't want to get stuck between the actual field and the ravine, so I moved a little away and waited next to a spruce at the edge of the field. At that moment, the location with the dense tracks was to my left. The clock kept ticking. At one point, the sun peeked out from behind a cloud and the light was sweet. What wasn't there, however, were the deer. In the meantime, a young stag ran into the field from the right, but it started to move away from me and at some point disappeared into the forest again. The sun was setting and time was running out. There were no roars either. Only my own tension could be felt in the air. I seriously started to think that this time the deer wedding would be a total disaster. Sending back the SIGMA lens like that without any good photos captured would be a pity.
It was already getting dark and I thought I would wait about 10-15 minutes more and then start walking back to the car quietly. Maybe I would meet someone on the road. Suddenly I looked to the right and a red deer stag had come out of the forest and into the field unnoticed. At the time I noticed it, the deer was poking the field with its antlers and marking his territory. Suddenly the deer started coming straight towards me. After 15-20 seconds it still came towards me and it seemed to have a definite goal. At that moment the animal was somewhere 150m away from me. I took a few quick video clips and then focused on the photos. In the meantime, the deer stopped and stuck its nose up to see if something suspicious was going on. It let out a few roars towards the sky that I couldn't get in the frame. It kept coming and suddenly I realized that with the 600mm focal length the deer is not fitting in the frame anymore. Suddenly the focal length was 500mm, then 400mm and suddenly 300mm and there was nowhere to go from here. In the meantime, the deer had stopped a few times again, pushing its chest forward with its nose. I was afraid that it would already smell me and start running. Finally, the deer walked past me at a distance of about 35m. I crouched there next to the spruce in my camouflage suit like a real bush. My heart was pounding and I tried to keep my hand steady in the middle of all this happening. Suddenly the deer stopped, got my smell and started to run towards the other edge of the field with faster steps from where I had originally come. When the moment was over, I stood there for about 5 more minutes. I made some strange sudden gestures with my hands and at the same time tried to shout something out of my mouth as quietly and vividly as possible, which obviously meant joy and satisfaction. I measured how many meters away the deer was and about 35m was the right number. I started walking back to the car and as I crossed the field, I got the soles of my boots under a nice layer of manure. I looked back and there I was greeted by another young red deer stag with a pair of antlers, which quickly returned to the forest. My friend and I later had a long chat and studied the photos, and I had initially estimated the deer's antlers in the field to be smaller. Probably from a big adrenaline rush.
The photo was there. The experience was there and I could drive back to the mainland the next day with a clear heart. Later, while watching the photos on the big monitor at home, I realized what an awesome moment I had been part of and how super grateful I was for the whole event. Because of all these moments and experiences, I am already looking forward to next year, where new majestic and powerful kings of the Hiiumaa forests are waiting for me.
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