Fallow Deer

FALLOW DEER

The Fallow Deer is from Europe and Asia. It is native to most of Europe during the last Interglacial. It's range is restricted to the middle east and possibly also parts of the Mediterranean region, while further southeast in western Asia it is more common.

The bucks have antlers which are broad and shovel-shaped. They are grazing animals; their preferred habitat is mixed woodland and open grassland. During the rut bucks will spread out but  the rest of the year they try to stay together in groups.

The male "Bucks" can weigh up to 200 lbs. They rut in the fall time and make a loud "growling" type noise, I guess it's their way of competing with the elk on our ranch whom has the most romantic "bugle", it's not much of a competition.  Majority of typical Fallow deer have white spots on their backs, and black tips at the ends of their tails. This species has great variations in the colour of their coats, with four main types, and we have all four types! The common GINGER spotted or brown, this colour in summer is a rich brown with many white spots and lighter underparts, changing to dark gray-brown in winter with spots barely visible; The MENIL-pale fawn with white spots; The WHITE (but not albino); and the BLACK-not actually black, but very dark brown. There are also many intermediate colour variations as well in our herd.

Fallow Deer have long enjoyed popularity as an exotic on hunt ranches throughout the USA and in Canada, they are a hardy exotic deer species, and provide a very challenging hunt, and have amazing royal looking antlers.