Listen: Stag bellowing season to begin in French forests

The 2025 stag mating season is set to begin in France next week (September 15) and is expected to last for around a month.

Several regions in France observe the event, known as the brame du cerf, particularly those with thick forested areas.

Night-time forest walks led by forestry guides are one event often held to mark the season, and there is even a competitions where contestants imitate the noises of the animals.

In the Dordogne for example, the local hunting federation is holding a number of free evening events throughout the end of September. 

The tours start with a presentation on the animals then a guided tour in an attempt to hear the stags bellow - you can find out more information on its website.

If you prefer to stay at home, france.tv has begun a 504-hour livestream of the stags in the Espace Rambouillet to the south-west of Paris. 

Using seven all-condition cameras (that can employ night vision) powered by solar panels, the livestream began on September 8 and will last until September 29, providing an uninterrupted chance to watch the stags at all hours. 

It is free to watch both on TV sets and to livestream on other devices via this link, but for the latter you must create a free france.tv account.

Unique sounds

Yves Normand, of the national forestry office (l’Office national des forêts or ONF) told news service FranceInfo last year: “[Stags] have a very developed sense of smell so if there is one nearby then it probably already knows that [humans are close by].”

Mr Normand said that hearing the sound for the first time was unforgettable but that it was important for people to keep their distance.

“When you hear it for the first time, it’s very memorable! But we shouldn’t get too close for safety reasons. There have been accidents - it’s rare but it has happened," he said.

“When they are in calling season, stags are full of testosterone. This rise in hormones makes the males aggressive. They fight and can even kill each other," he added.

Imitation competitions

Every year there is also a stag bellowing imitation contest, with people competing to perform the most authentic sound. The winner of the national competition then goes on to compete at European level.

Participants are judged on the depth, length and tone of the imitation.

Lasy year's competition took place in June in Saint-Laurent, Ardennes, with participants competing to become the champion of France.

Stag imitation is not simply entertainment, but also useful for attracting stags to track or photograph them.

In 2015, The Connexion spoke to the then champion stag bellower Alfred Bour, from Réding in Moselle, who won the competition that year.

He explained: “I tried everything – shells, horns... but it’s a bakelite tube that works best for me. It’s all done in the way you vibrate your vocal chords and manage your breath, a bit like an operatic tenor.

“There are different sounds for a young stag, an old stag, a stag with does etc. I can do them all, though some people find the young one harder because it’s higher and more melodious and goes from high to low up and down the scales.

"I learned [how to do it] from a friend of my father who was a hunting guide – we went into the forest and he taught us what to do."

If you would like to hear stag bellowing, visit this page to find a location in your area.