Battling bucks lead to viral video from southwest Calgary

A Calgarian’s video of two fighting bucks has gone viral.

The dueling white-tailed deer were filmed Saturday from behind a vehicle as they locked antlers on a residential street in the southwest community of Bridlewood, near the city’s southern edge.

Xavier Castellino, a mechanics student at SAIT, captured the wildlife encounter on his cellphone. The buck fight appeared to last for roughly a minute before the two deer stopped their quarrel and bounded off down the road, seemingly uninjured.

Castellino said the incident occurred on the street out front of his grandmother’s house.

“We were just out there moving her out of her place and I was out there loading up our car and saw two deer going at it like crazy, so I pulled out my phone and started recording,” he told Postmedia.

He added it was “pretty crazy” to see two animals fighting in the middle of the street, noting that at one point, the deer almost collided with his vehicle in the midst of their tussle.

A third deer — a doe — appeared in the background of the video, suggesting the fight may have been over her.

The fall rutting season for deer typically lasts from mid-October to early December, according to the B.C. SPCA.

“During this time, male deer (bucks) become more interested in female deer (does), and will compete for their attention,” the association states on its website. “This means they will show more aggression to other males — perceiving them as competition — and will often challenge and fight other males.”

Castellino posted his video to Instagram, where it quickly amassed more than 500,000 views and thousands of likes. It’s since been posted to other platforms as well.

Calgarians are encouraged to report injured large wildlife they come across, including bears, elk, moose, deer and cougars, to Alberta Fish and Wildlife at 403-297-6423 between 8:15 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday. Outside of these hours, the provincial agency can be reached at 1-800-642-3800.

For smaller mammals and birds, Calgarians are asked to contact one of the two wildlife rehabilitation centres in the region, including the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society (403-214-1312) or the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation in Madden, Rocky View County (403-946-2361).

-With files from Jim Wells, Gavin Young

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