Filmed these two deer fighting at Fripp Island, SC - Tourists went bonkers

[kenboonejr]

Some of you may want to see this. It was pretty awesome. I was at Fripp Island, SC this past weekend and the island is loaded with deer. They are not hunted here and they just roam all around on the island. I mean they are everywhere, walking through everyone's yards, out on the dunes at the beach, literally everywhere.  I'm not much of a beach person so I just ran around on a golf cart and filmed a bunch of bucks on my phone while my fam was at the beach. Anyway, they were finished and I picked them up in the golf cart and was headed back to the house we rented. We went up and over a bridge over a tidal creek and when we came down the other side these two 8 points were locked up pretty hard. I started filming the fight and then it got really close to the golf cart and I had to back away, but then a bunch of other vehicles started blocking me in too as everyone was stopping to watch the fight. Some of the tourists absolutely freaked at what they saw. The thing is one of the bucks was still in velvet so as they were fighting the velvet is getting ripped up and is bleeding. I mean both antlers started turning bright red at this point. These tourists went bonkers. Multiple of them called island security and it didn't matter what I had to tell them. I tried to explain look this is normal, the blood is from the velvet, stay away from them, etc.. And these people thought I was an idiot telling them this stuff. I think there is a lot of people in this world that just can handle real nature.  Anyway I thought it was pretty cool to see it happen this close to me.

[kennym]

Good vid! People are clueless...

[kenboonejr]

Good vid! People are clueless...

They absolutely are!

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Cool video. Agree with kenny.  Just look at what's happening with the wolf hunt hers in wi.  Forget science, feelings are far more important.

[Bisch]

That’s pretty crazy! I’ve never seen bucks still in velvet fight, and I’ve never seen a buck use that method to rub his antlers!!!

And yes, there’s a lot of folks out there who don’t have a clue!

Bisch

[kenboonejr]

Yes I have only seen them really spar and tap their antlers this early in the season like right after the velvet came off.  But when driving around this island I saw several bucks that looked like they had blood stained antlers and were scrapping with each other.  I was also filming this one buck that same afternoon and right after I stopped filming he let out a snort wheeze and then took off after a smaller buck.  It was crazy down there.

[BAK]

Very cool video.  And yeah, way way too many folks brought up watching Bambi.

[Tim Finley]

Way to early to be fighting they usually are so sensitive with their the velvet .

[Pat B]

That first shot of testosterone sure is powerful. When the testosterone starts flowing, starting the beginning of the rut is when the velvet starts coming off.

[shankspony]

Great video! But I do feel sad for the bulk of humanity who have so lost any conception or connection to nature that they behave that way.

[Cory Mattson]

Seeing this activity reminds me of when I hunted Sandy Island in SC 30 years ago
9000 acres
Bow only
Every year by September 1st - the entire island was completely laid out with territorial scrapes, licking branches, secondaries and full blown Primaries. Fresh rubs were Everywhere!!
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[MCNSC]

Wonder if these are the same 2 bucks. These were on Wahoo Dr a couple weeks ago. They were buddies then.

[MCNSC]

Saw one buck with most of its velvet gone. Most were still in velvet.

[kenboonejr]

@MCNSC - That is pretty cool man.  Here is pic of one of the ones that was in the fight.  I caught up with him about 30 mins later further down Wahoo.  I think he looks like the deer on the left in your picture based on the hook on his right G3.  They were all mixed 1/3 velvet, 1/3 no velvet 1/3 in between last weekend.

[MCNSC]

Probably the same one. I don’t remember the house number but it was about the 4th or 5th house on the right. Bunch of does stayed right at that intersection, of course there’s a bunch of does pretty much everywhere there.

[MCNSC]

Another pic.

[mangonboat]

Great video. The deer on Fripp Island are everywhere...no hunting pressure, almost none get run over by  vehicles: bicycles and golf carts.  Everybody feeds them by planting and watering grass, shrubs, flowers. But the hormones hit the bucks there just like everywhere else.

[Possum Head]

Great video!

[kenboonejr]

Great video. The deer on Fripp Island are everywhere...no hunting pressure, almost none get run over by  vehicles: bicycles and golf carts.  Everybody feeds them by planting and watering grass, shrubs, flowers. But the hormones hit the bucks there just like everywhere else.

Not just that.  A lot of people feed them by hand and throw stuff to them.  I saw one dude get out of his car and had maybe a 4 year old with him.  They walked up and immediately two big bucks come right to them and they just started throwing stuff out to the deer and the one big buck walks right between the adult and the roughly 4 year old.  And I am thinking - man you are an idiot for #1 for feeding them like that but #2 more importantly putting your kid (I assume) in that position.  What is funny is not a few hundred yards up the road they have this big don't feed the deer sign. I talked to security and asked them if they just ignore enforcing the don't feed the deer policy, cause just about every time you stop the golf cart a deer will walk up as if waiting for the food.  They said they do enforce it but if it is a homeowner in their own yard they can't do anything about it.

It's the same everywhere.  I grew up in Florida and always lived on the water.  Folks from up north would move in down the road and start feeding the alligators.  Got a vacation cabin in the Smoky Mountains and tourists come and despite all the signs start feeding the bears.  People come to Fripp Island and pass right by the big signs and just start feeding the deer.  The problem is in heavily populated areas when animals get fed like that it usually doesn't turn out good for the animal - and sometimes people get hurt.

[Blaino]

Awesome video! Only on Fripp….