The sounds of autumn in the mountains of Malaga: this is where you can best experience the rutting season of deer and ibex looking for mates

Autumn in Malaga province has a range of colours with which the season is quickly identified, such as the golden, coppery and brown tones of the dry leaves of deciduous trees. But there are also sounds from the wildlife that are associated with this time of year. Mating season begins for the large mammals that inhabit these mountains and pastures: red deer, fallow deer and ibex (mountain goats).

Each of these herbivore species has its own peculiarity, although they are all known for their specific sounds to do with the rut. Among them is the guttural bellowing emitted by the stags (red or common deer) trying to prove their worth to the females. It is the kind of noise that has surprised or even frightened a fair few hikers in their time. It can be heard during the last days of September and the first days of October, during both day and night. In reality though, once it gets dark, the bellowing can be heard more intensely due to the silence of the woods at night.

Neither do you have to leave the province of Malaga to enjoy the experience of seeing and hearing a rut. While other provinces in Andalucía like Cordoba and Jaen provide excursions to listen to the rut ('la berrea' in Spanish), there are also many available in Malaga. In fact, the active tourism company RF Natura organises a guided tour every year to enjoy this spectacle of sound. On this occasion, they took a group of nature lovers this last weekend to the abandoned hamlet of La Sauceda, in the municipality of Cortes de la Frontera, in the heart of Los Alcornocales natural park according to Rafael Flores, owner-manager and guide of this company from Ronda.

Apart from Los Alcornocales, a cork forest that is one of the great green lungs of Andalucía, there are many other places in the Serranía de Ronda where you can hear the bellowing of deer. In fact, Rafael Flores changes locations every year as he does not like to repeat this or any other excursion he organises. This nature guide and author of many hiking publications has a decent list of locations up his sleeve such as Llanos de Líbar, Hoyo de Cortes or the area around Jimera de Líbar. Moreover, there are even areas very close to the town of Ronda, as happens for the residents of San Rafael district with the game reserve of Los Peñoncillos is nearby.

There are also places well known to the locals and close to popular hiking trails such as the Tajo del Abanico or the Encinas Borrachas pass (on the Algeciras-Ronda road). Another option is what is popularly known as El Pantanillo, which is relatively close to the Presa del Hundidero de Montejaque dam, although it is in the municipality of Ronda. "The deer come there to drink water and it is very easy to see and hear them," explains Flores. Part of the spectacle is not only in the sounds they make, but also in the fights between the males as they clash antlers. The strongest does not necessarily win, as sometimes the stag grows tired and exhausted, so other males take advantage of this to take the females.

In general, according to the owner-manager of RF Natura, the bellowing can be heard and seen in a large part of the Serranía de Ronda, especially in the natural parks of Grazalema and Los Alcornocales and their surroundings, as the number of deer has increased considerably in recent years. In any case, an organised visit is advisable, as the groups of these mammals are not always in the same place. Factors such as humidity and wind have an influence. Here the experience and knowledge of an expert guide is essential to get as close as possible.

Less well known than the bellowing of the red deer is the roar of the fallow deer. In Malaga province that is to be expected because there is only one area in the province where this occurs. The location is Navas de los Pinsapos in the Sierra de las Nieves National Park in the municipality of Parauta. "There the guides of this private estate are a great help in getting close to the place where the fallow deer roar," says Rafael Flores, who every autumn organises a guided tour in collaboration with the owners of Navas de los Pinsapos. On this occasion, it will take place at night on Thursday 10 October.

The sound emitted by the fallow deer during the rut is very different from the bellowing of the common (red deer) stag. Although they have the same purpose, what you hear from the fallow male deer is "a roar similar to that made by the lion", according to Rafa Flores. There is no need to be alarmed, it is simply a natural noise emitted by these mammals inhabiting this western corner of Malaga province.

Later, as autumn progresses, another spectacle associated with the mating season of ruminants in inland Malaga will be upon us: the rutting of the ibex. This spectacle can be enjoyed from a distance in the many limestone spots around the province. There are no guttural sounds or roars here. What does sound loudly is the clashing of horns as the males collide under the watchful gaze of the waiting females.

The best place to see this battle is the natural site of limestone rock at El Torcal de Antequera, north of Malaga city. The visitor centre there also organises guided tours every year for the princely sum of 2 euros (tickets submitted to the shop or restaurant on the day of the visit). This year it will be on the 19th of October from 9 am to 12 noon with a guided trail of approximately two to five kilometres, depending on how soon they come across these mountain goats.