Nature can be brutal. Nowhere is evidence of that more clearly displayed than in this Colorado photo taken by Lee Winnike.
According to a post on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Facebook page, this young whitetail buck came out on the losing end of a scrape with another buck.
Bucks often face off during the breeding season, or rut, with rivals to determine dominance hierarchy. The testosterone-filled sparring matches are usually rather short-lived but some, as you see above, can have painful or even deadly results.
(Photo source: Lee Winnike/Colorado Parks and Wildlife)