Thread: What deer is this?

So my brother just sent me the below pictures following an evening hunt, asking me what species I thought it was. Area is Parawera, Waikato. Not somewhere we commonly hunt and I'm really only familiar with fallow and red deer.

What says the forum? Sika? Bigger than a fallow buck, guessed as standing 1m at the shoulder.

Rusa

Originally Posted by Double tap

Rusa

Honestly, that's what I wondered too. But I thought they were mainly around Galatea way?

Antlers look rusa-like, but I would expect the animal to be much bigger if it was a rusa, so I'll guess Sika.

Escappee. Pretty sure there was a blocl with some around that area.

a dead one...and hopefully a tasty one....

Definitely Rusa I would say...!

ignoring the antlers looks to have that different / rougher Rusa hair coat

Thanks all - consensus seems to be Rusa (also dead and hopefully tasty). Interesting, I wonder if it's a one-off escapee or there's actually a breeding population there somewhere?

There are wild Rusa in parts of the NI that would surprise many

Originally Posted by Gibo

There are wild Rusa in parts of the NI that would surprise many

A guy I know nailed a very nice stag near Mahia about ? 2yrs ago.

Rusa,Sika......never in my life of killing & eating game have I shot and noshed on either........have I missed out as far as yummy goes lol.
Do these chaps and chap..esses taste better than say Whitetails,Fallow???

lucky enough or is that old enough to have eaten most of them -fallow ,white tail ,sika in that order really good -rusa is okay but dont bother with sambar- bloody awful like venison mixed with saw dust

Originally Posted by doinit

Rusa,Sika......never in my life of killing & eating game have I shot and noshed on either........have I missed out as far as yummy goes lol.
Do these chaps and chap..esses taste better than say Whitetails,Fallow???

sika are right up there.....seriously good fodder for a chap....

ya dead right Gibo - there are rusa at Rere back of Gisborne escapees - the one that did suprise me was a sambar shot at Moki North Taranaki -saw the head shoulder mounted yup sambar- sika at Ruatoria- and I saw a photo taken by DOC of a few whitetail released at Port Waikato (I understand all shot by DOC ??) the one that did piss me of a bit were wapiti and wapiti crosses released at South Taranaki -that just fucks up the local red strains -perhaps we should just shut up and enjoy the hunting yuk yuk