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The deer rut on the Glières plateau

The deer rut on the Glières plateau

·William Bories·deer-rutnaturewildlifeglieres-plateauautumnhaute-savoie

Every autumn, the roar of red deer stags carries across the Glières plateau, above Le Petit-Bornand-les-Glières and Glières-Val-de-Borne. The French call it le brame: the call of the males during the breeding season. Here is how to experience it without disturbing the animals.

When can you hear it?

Haute-Savoie Tourisme gives the rut season as 15 September to 15 October. On the Glières plateau, the listening outings organised in recent years have taken place between late September and early October, which is the safest window.

Listening outings usually set off in the late afternoon and come back after dark.

Good practice

To listen to the rut without disturbing the deer:

  • quiet and discretion: speak in a whisper, or not at all, once you are in place;
  • stay on the paths: don't try to get close to the animals;
  • warm clothes: you will stand still for a long time, and autumn evenings are cold at 1,400 m;
  • head torch: essential for the way back;
  • dogs: on the plateau they must be kept on a lead because of livestock and guardian dogs. For a listening outing, it is best to leave them behind.

Going with a guide

For a first time, a guided outing saves you from looking for listening spots alone, at night, in the mountains. Several organisations have run outings on the Glières plateau in the past:

  • France Nature Environnement Haute-Savoie has held listening evenings on the plateau, booking required;
  • the Faucigny Glières tourist office has offered "Écoute du brame du cerf" outings starting from Le Petit-Bornand;
  • mountain leaders offer wildlife-watching outings listed by Haute-Savoie Tourisme.

Dates and organisers change from year to year, and we do not yet have dates for 2027. Before the season, check the events calendars of the Faucigny Glières tourist office and FNE Haute-Savoie.

Other autumn activities on the plateau

In autumn the plateau is still good hiking ground, and people also go there for mushrooms, within the departmental picking rules. See our guide to the Glières plateau, the walk to the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges chapel and, for winter, cross-country skiing on the Glières plateau.

From the campsite

The campsite is in Glières-Val-de-Borne, half an hour's drive from the plateau. More ideas are on our hiking page, and you can book your pitch for the rut season.

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