Breeding vocalizations can provide up-to-date information about callers. During the rut, fallow buck calling rates vary in response to their nearest neighbors, and vocal fatigue is linked to body condition loss. We found that fallow bucks perceive higher calling rates as a greater threat and that bucks were sensitive to declines in the quality of the calls of other males. Over the breeding season, fallow bucks gain information from changing calls to continually assess the condition and motivation of conspecific
