Deer hunting

New Zealand has had 10 species of deer (Cervidae) introduced. From the 1850s, red deer were liberated, followed by fallow, sambar, wapiti, sika, rusa, and whitetail. The introduced herds of axis and moose failed to grow, and have become extinct. In the absence of predators to control populations, deer were thought to be a pest due to their effect on native vegetation. From the 1930s, the government employed professional hunters to cull the deer population. Market hunting for deer hides was a significant activity during the 1940's and 50's, and meat hunting from helicopters continues today, with the main market for wild venison being Europe. Deer hunting in New Zealand is a popular recreational activity, organised and advocated for at the national level by the New Zealand Deerstalkers' Association. == United States ==

The two main species of deer found in the United States are mule deer and white-tailed deer. Mule deer are mostly found west of the Rocky Mountains, but can also be found as far east as parts of North and South Dakota, while whitetails generally occur only to the east of the Rockies. Mule deer have a black-tipped tail which is proportionally smaller than that of the white-tailed deer. The male deer or bucks grow antlers annually. The mule deer have taller skinnier tines on their antlers where white-tailed deer typically have shorter thicker tines. White-tailed bucks are slightly smaller than mule deer bucks. Whitetail deer excel in various habitats including forests as well as suburban territories, and are very much adaptable to multiple environments. Both of the species lose their antlers in January, and regrow the antlers during the following summer beginning in June. Although both species are found in the United States, where they are found is vastly different. Mule deer are found in the western United States in the foothills of the mountains. As their antlers become fully developed, they will start to shed their velvet. Velvet is vascularised tissue that is a furry skin-like material that covers the growing antlers. If the antlers are damaged while they are in velvet they can cause nontypical features due to the soft nature of the antler tissue while growing. The velvet will fall off of the deer when their antlers start to harden in late summer to early fall to get ready for mating season in the winter. If the velvet doesn't fall off on its own they will make a "rub" on a small tree. This is when they rub their antlers to both mark territory and to take the remaining velvet off. Mating season (referred to as the "rut") is, typically, a good time for hunting deer and which usually takes place at the end of October and leading into November. During this season, the bucks are often up on their feet more to try and "lockdown" does. There are many different types of strategies employed when deer hunting. These strategies often depend on the time of year too. One of the most successful early and late season strategies is hunting over a food source. The hunter must know his state laws for baiting or feeding deer while hunting, as each state differs, and policies may also vary within a given state. This can be done multiple ways. One way that can be very successful if done correctly is by growing a food plot. Some of the popular food plots for deer are clover, alfalfa, turnips, and radishes. Another way as mentioned before is baiting deer. This is often done with corn or a mineral block, such as a salt-lick, and where the hunter sits perched in a higher elevation some distance away, awaiting the deer's visit. If this were done at night, a miner's acetylene lamp, or an electric spotlight, was placed near the mineral block so as to see the animal when it approaches. Another strategy is hunting a "rub" or "scrape" line. This strategy is often used closer to the "rut" season. start as early as September and can go all the way until February like in Texas. The length of the season is often based on the health and population of the deer herd, in addition to the number of hunters expected to be participating in the deer hunt. The duration of deer hunting seasons can also vary by county within a state, as in Kentucky. For example, during a bows-only season, in many areas a hunter would be limited to the use of a bow and the use of any firearm would be prohibited until that specific season opens, and in some areas a crossbow can only be used during a dedicated season for that weapon. Similarly, during a muzzleloader season, use of modern firearms is almost always prohibited. However, in many states, the archery season (at least for compound and recurve bows) completely overlaps all firearms seasons; in those locations, bowhunters may take deer during a firearms season. Some states also have restrictions on hunting of antlered or antlerless deer. For example, Kentucky allows the taking of antlerless deer during any deer season in most of the state, but in certain areas allows only antlered deer to be taken during parts of deer season. == United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland ==

''|alt=|left The term "deer hunting" is used in North America for the shooting of deer, but in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the term generally refers to the pursuit of deer with scent hounds, with unarmed followers typically on horseback. There are six species of deer in the UK: red deer, roe deer, fallow deer, Sika deer, Reeves muntjac deer, and Chinese water deer, as well as hybrids of these deer. All are hunted to a degree reflecting their relative population either as sport or for culling. Closed seasons for deer vary by species. The practice of declaring a closed season in England dates back to medieval times, when it was called fence month and commonly lasted from June 9 to July 9, though the actual dates varied. It is illegal to use bows to hunt any wild animal in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. UK deer stalkers, if supplying venison (in fur) to game dealers, butchers and restaurants, need to hold a Lantra level 2 large game meat hygiene certificate. Courses are run by organisations such as the British Association for Shooting and Conservation and this qualification is also included within the Level 1 deer stalking certificate. If supplying venison for public consumption (meat), the provider must have a fully functioning and clean larder that meets FSA standards and must register as a food business with the local authority. standing next to a red deer stag shot on Ardnamurchan Estate in the Scottish Highlands The vast majority of deer hunted in the UK are stalked. The phrase deer hunting is used to refer (in England and Wales) to the traditional practice of chasing deer with packs of hounds, currently illegal under the Hunting Act 2004. In the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, there were several packs of staghounds hunting "carted deer" in England and Ireland. Carted deer were red deer kept in captivity for the sole purpose of being hunted and recaptured alive. More recently, there were three packs of staghounds hunting wild red deer of both sexes on or around Exmoor and the New Forest Buckhounds hunting fallow deer bucks in the New Forest, the latter disbanding in 1997. The practice of hunting with hounds, other than using two hounds to flush deer to be shot by waiting marksmen, has been banned in the UK since 2005; to date, two people have been convicted of breaking the law. There is one pack of stag hounds in the Republic of Ireland and one in Northern Ireland, the former operating under a licence to hunt carted deer. ==Australia==

In Australia, there are six species of deer that are available to hunt. These are fallow deer, sambar, red deer, rusa, chital, and hog deer. ==Gallery==

File:Benjamin West - Alexander III of Scotland Rescued from the Fury of a Stag by the Intrepidity of Colin Fitzgerald ('The Death of the Stag') - Google Art Project.jpg|Alexander III of Scotland Rescued from the Fury of a Stag by Benjamin West, 1786 File:Goguryeo tomb mural.jpg|The Goguryeo tomb mural of hunting from Ji'an File:0 Diane chasseresse et ses nymphes - Pierre Paul Rubens (1).JPG|A painting of the goddess Diana deer hunting by Peter Rubens File:Theodore Roosevelt with hunting suit and rifle 3a24199u original.jpg|Theodore Roosevelt in 1885 with his highly decorated deer-skin hunting suit, and Tiffany-carved hunting knife and rifle File:北宋-金 傳黃宗道 舊傳李贊華 獵鹿圖 卷-Stag Hunt MET DP204852.jpg|Stag Hunt (attributed to Huang Zongdao), ca. 1120, Metropolitan Museum of Art ==See also==