Deer Standing On Hind Legs Fighting

I have trail cameras on my property near the Ouachita National Forest here in Arkansas. One of these cameras caught two Whitetail Deer standing on their hind legs fighting. One of the Deer is a Buck and the other is a Doe. (The Doe could be a button Buck). These two Deer have appeared on my trail cameras several times over the past couple of months. They travel together.

Deer rarely stand on their hind legs, except in unusual circumstances such as fighting or trying to reach higher vegetation. When fighting, male deer may use their front legs to push against each other or antler to antler, but standing on hind legs is not a common behavior.

I see this behavior with Does and they do this to establish a pecking order. My research indicates that Bucks will fight with their forefeet if they have shed their antlers. I am sure they do the same if the antlers are in velvet. The velvet has lots of blood vessels and nerves which makes the antlers very sensitive.

The hooves on Deer are sharp and could cause serious injury if struck by one. I see scars on Does and have always wondered if it was from the sharp hooves.

Trail cameras are great for letting you know what wildlife you have on your property and what they are doing. It’s a hobby for me.

I have these cameras mainly on game trails. The camera that took the above photo is in a small clearing near a spring that runs through my property.

This camera is a Moultrie but I use several brands.