Oh deer! Stag gets leaves entangled in its antlers

Published: 22:16, 20 August 2026 | Updated: 22:17, 20 August 2026 A stag was pictured flaunting a floral headdress after masterfully entangling leaves in its antlers. The red deer was captured in Studley Royal Estate, near Ripon in North Yorkshire, on Sunday. Dave Manson, who captured the moment, said he 'had no idea' how 'effective a red deer stag was at camouflage and concealment'. 'I was observing and photographing the red deer while walking on the Studley Royal Estate and had been watching this particular stag for a while as he stood underneath a tree,' Mr Manson continued. 'When he eventually emerged from the shadows, he had somehow managed to get a huge amount of branches and leaves tangled around his antlers.  'He then walked out across the open park and through the herd, seemingly completely unfazed by his new headwear, which gave me the opportunity to photograph him from several different angles.' Studley Royal Estate is managed by the National Trust, which, as a charity, manages more than 4,000 deer across 12 parks in the UK. The North Yorkshire park is home to around 300 deer. This is roughly broken down to 120 red deer, 120 fallow deer and 60 sika deer. Red deer are known for plucking leaves from lower branches of trees, which could be how the stag fashioned its headdress A stag was pictured in makeshift camouflage in Studley Royal Estate in North Yorkshire  The North Yorkshire park is home to around 300 deer, including roughly 120 red deer Red deer are recognisable for their rusty red coats in the summer, hence their name, which turns a dark shade of brown in the winter There is also a separate herd of 40 red deer, the National Trust said, which live in another part of the estate named Mackershaw. The deer at Studley Royal Estate are part of one of the most distinctive features of the estate, where large herds roam across the parkland surrounding the ruins of Fountains Abbey. Fountains Abbey was a Cistercian house established in 1132 but was ruined after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539.  It was recognised as a World Heritage Site in 1986.  Red deer are Britain's largest native land mammal, with mature stags developing impressive antlers with multiple points each year.  Their antlers are shed and regrown annually, with the new growth initially covered in a soft layer known as velvet.  Red deer are recognisable for their rusty red coats in the summer, hence their name, which turns a dark shade of brown in the winter. They are known for plucking leaves from lower branches of trees, which could be how the stag fashioned its headdress.