ONE of the most spectacular sights in the autumnal British countryside has to be that of rutting stags in their prime.

And these beautiful shots were captured by photographer Charlotte Graham as the sun rose over Studley Royal Park, in North Yorkshire.

October is the most exciting time of year to watch deer as they engage in the fierce mating battles, known as rutting. 

The three largest species of deer – red, fallow and sika – all rut in the autumn and are usually easy to spot in protected parks or out in the wild.

The stags’ rutting activity is usually at its most intense soon after dawn, though some activity occurs throughout the day. 

The stags rut to win the opportunity to mate with the female does who are only in a fertile phase for a day or less each year.