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Catch up with stag mating season in France
Enjoy unedited 'slow TV' that immerses viewers in the natural sounds of a French forest
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Hundreds of thousands of people tuned in to non-stop livestreams from a French forest this month, in the hopes of seeing and hearing deer in their natural habitat during stag mating season.
From September 7-28, media outlets France TV and ICI Paris Île-de-France streamed the second season of Le Brame du Cerf (The Stag’s Rut) - named after the stag’s mighty bellowing calls used to attract females and ward off competitors.
Live, unedited footage was shown 24 hours a day for three weeks, with viewers enjoying the natural sounds of the forest and catching glimpses of animals such as foxes, wild boars, ducks, herons and of course, deer.
Clips lasting up to five hours can be re-watched on YouTube, with a timestamp in the corner of the screen indicating when the clip was filmed.
“What a pleasure to come back and watch every evening! Nature is beautiful,” commented one viewer on the YouTube livechat.
You can also catch highlights and interviews with nature experts on the show’s dedicated podcast.
The show, which falls under an increasingly popular genre of television known as ‘slow TV’, has the tagline: A tout moment, il peut ne rien se passer (At any moment, nothing may happen).
This calming concept is particularly loved in Scandinavian countries, with moose migrations in Sweden being watched by several million viewers from around the world each spring.
Le Brame du Cerf has experienced similar appreciation. The first season in 2025 gained 375,000 views via France TV, with over a million more on social media.
For season two, a total of 10 solar-powered cameras (up from seven last year) were placed throughout a forest in the Île-de-France region, with the precise locations being kept secret so as not to attract members of the public and disturb the wildlife. The show also focused on improving the image and sound quality this year, to render the footage even more immersive.
How to hear the brame for yourself
If you would like to hear the stag’s bellowing call for yourself, visit this brame-du-cerf website (not associated with France TV) and click on your region.
Some French nature associations and monuments such as the Château de Chambord offer guided visits to safely admire the spectacle until mid-October.
Note that stags are full of testosterone during mating season, which makes them aggressive. It is important to keep your distance if you hear one nearby.
