Can you name something deer related for every letter of the alphabet? BASC’s deer team can! Take a look for yourself.
A for antlers
Grown and cast annually by adult males, (except in reindeer where females have them and Chinese water deer where neither sex has them.)
B for binoculars
E
ssential for spotting deer
C for Chinese water deer
Nick Lane
In the 19th Century 10% of the world’s population of this deer was imported from China to the UK.
D for doe
The term for females of roe, fallow and muntjac.
E for ectoparasites
Such as ticks, keds and lice found on the skin of deer.
F for fallow
Our second largest deer species imported by the Normans.
G for gralloching
Removal of the internal organs of deer after shooting.
H for high seat
A metal or wooden structure enabling you to sit above ground and better enable you to spot deer and shoot safely.
I for imperial stag
The name often given to a red stag with 14 points on his antlers
J for jacket
An essential piece of kit to keep you warm and dry when stalking
K for kid
Nick Lane
A term for the young of roe.
L for lymph nodes
Found throughout deer and must be checked for abnormalities when gralloching.
M for muntjac
Our smallest deer. Reeves muntjac were imported from China in the late 19th Century and spread rapidly as they breed all year round.
N for night shooting
It is illegal in the UK without a licence. Night is defined as one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise.
O for optics
Such as binoculars, scopes, and thermal imagers. All these are essential parts of the stalker’s kit.
P for perruque
From the French word wig. Usually on roe, it’s an abnormal spongy growth of the antlers caused by damage to the testicles. It can cause death as the result of fly strike or rendering the animal blind.
Q for quad sticks
This is the four sticks you rest your rifle on for a steady shot.
R for rut
The mating period for deer. During this time males become very vocal, with reds roaring, fallow belching and sika whistling, screaming and grunting!
S for sorrel
A term for a fallow male at three years old.
T for tines
The point of an antler
U for ungulates
A term for hoofed animals such as deer.
V for venison
Very tasty deer meat.
W for white hart
Is the inspiring names of thousands of UK pubs and mythology deriving from white male deer, caused by a condition called leucism.
X is for cross hair
It is the two thin lines intersecting on a rifle sight on which you focus your shot.
Y for yeld
A female red deer who has not had a youngster the previous year.
Z for zzzzz
Dozing off in a high seat after an early morning start!
