Leaves are falling, the air is cooler and squirrels are scurrying about, foraging and tucking away their precious nutty treasures in preparation for winter. Autumn is upon us. And so is the rut. From late September to early November (give or take a few weeks), particularly at dawn or dusk and in more rural areas, you may hear eerie, deep grunting sounds in the distance. You’re likely to be hearing the stirring battle shouts of one or several testosterone-fuelled Fallow bucks. The deer equivalent of the Haka! You might even be lucky enough to hear the clashing of antlers as two males meet and fight to prove their strength and therefore suitability as a mate.

Astonishingly, each Fallow doe (female) is receptive for only 24-36 hours once every year. Understandably the whole event can get quite intense for the males as it is their one chance of the year to pass on their genes and that biological clock is ticking!

First Impressions Don’t Always Count

Whether due to increased testosterone, adrenaline or cortisol levels or just lack of condition from weeks of not eating, just fighting and mating, the meat from the male deer during this time can be (and in our experience often is) very unappetizing. If you like beef but you’ve tried venison in the past and found it unpleasant and too strong a taste, the chances are you were served rutty buck meat or the meat was badly managed during processing. Please, please don’t let that put you off! Give it another chance!

We are extremely selective about the meat we sell. To ensure customer satisfaction, of course, but with the bigger picture always at the forefront: to aid the effective management and conservation of our native woodland habitats and reduce food miles. Not forgetting working towards a healthy deer population!

One of the ways we do this is by motivating people to want to eat wild venison, particularly in their own homes. And we can only do that by supplying a delicious and honest product. So at this time of year we encourage (insist, actually) that our customers wait for the does to come into season before we supply fresh venison to them. That way they are experiencing local wild venison at it’s best, spreading the word and coming back for more.

The great news is, does have just come into season! So get your orders in now for fresh venison delivery in November. And tell your friends!