Pere David

The Pere David deer originated out of the swampy marshlands of China. A French missionary, Father `Pere' David observed in the 1800`s that they were becoming endangered so moved the remaining few to Europe. Eventually a small number were introduced into New Zealand where today the only herd in the Southern Hemisphere is on a large private property below at the base of the Southern Alps.

These deer weigh around 330-440 pounds and their rut is in December, casting antlers around late May/June. With a huge fork like split beams on their antlers and short multi points of their tines, makes them an attractive trophy for any hunters that have an addiiction to antlers. This is a very unique animal where they are often found submerged in swampy areas with only the nose and antlers visable.