Red Stags abound in Britain; they have made a consorted effort to bring the species back in this country. Some other deer species where released to form hybrids and breed other traits into the population of Scottish red deer, and many of these are not only fertile but survive to reproduce offspring. The European deer have abnormally long tails compared to their American counterparts, and it is amazing that there are only nine subspecies of red elk in the world. The survive in the wild about ten to fifteen years, and in captivity about twenty. The stags weigh in at between three hundred fifty and five hundred pounds apiece, while hinds are more in the two to four hundred pound range. They top out at four feet tall for the biggest animals, and every once in a rare while, a white stag is born, which to the Scots is an omen of many things.

This Beautiful creature is the Irish Elk, or Giant Deer which is a more accurate description.  They are a species of megaloceros and went extinct about 11,000 years ago.  Their antlers weighed about eighty pounds and spanned about twelve feet across.  These guys came in at about the size of a modern moose, and were the largest known deer species, or cervid.   Debate rages as to what caused the extinction, be it man made or otherwise, but I think no one is ever going to be sure what caused the disappearance of this colossal beast.   It is a grand shame these animals are no longer around for us to hunt, that must have been spectacular sport.  Weights on these animals must have been over a thousand pounds.

This species comes in a range of colors, from almost white to almost black, and these interbreed regularly.  All colors bear spots on the back and a black stripe down the tail.  They can be found over Europe, and have flat, shovel like antlers.  Stags can be highly aggressive for the smaller size of them, and at certain times of year groups will form of one hundred plus animals.  They are almost ethereal in quality, the strangest of their antler shape and the many colors they come in are never expected.  I think the unusual quality they possess gives them sporting fans worldwide, especially in New Zealand.