The red stag is the male of the red deer (Cervus elaphus), Europe’s largest wild deer. Adults measure about 1.7–2 m in body length, stand up to 1.37 m at the shoulder and weigh 70–225 kg. Stags sport impressive branching antlers that can reach one metre in breadth and weigh up to 15 kg, while hinds (females) lack antlers. The summer coat is dark russet‑brown with a paler buff rump patch and pale tail; it turns greyer in winter. Majestic antlers, dramatic rutting calls and the rugged landscapes they inhabit make red stags a symbol of European hunting tradition.
Red stag hunting is practised across Europe using stalking, high‑seat shooting or organised driven hunts. In Great Britain the open season for stags runs from 1 August to 30 April (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) and from 1 July to 20 October in Scotland; most hunters focus on the autumn rut, when stags roar to proclaim territory and challenge rivals. Hunters glass hillsides or wood edges at dawn and dusk, then stalk using wind and terrain to conceal their approach; in mountainous areas ghillies carry the rifle until the final stalk. Stags weigh roughly 100–200 kg and have antlers with 2–12 points, so a well‑placed shot from a medium‑to‑large calibre rifle is essential. In some European forests driven hunts are organised during the hind season to manage female deer and provide venison.
Red deer are common across Europe and are protected under legislation such as the UK Deer Act 1991. Populations once declined due to overhunting but have rebounded thanks to reforestation and careful management. Hinds give birth to a single calf in late spring and live separately from stags except during the rut. Red deer inhabit moorlands, mountainsides, grasslands and woodland edges, feeding on grasses, sedges and dwarf shrubs. Controlled hunting reduces agricultural and forestry damage, generates income for landowners and helps maintain healthy, balanced herds.
A male red deer is called a “stag,” a female is a “hind” and the young are “calves”. Stags grow new antlers each spring; the antlers are covered in velvet that nourishes them and are shed soon after the breeding season. During the rut, stags roar loudly and may fight with locked antlers, losing considerable weight in the process. Red deer are social animals: stags form bachelor groups outside the rut, while hinds live in female herds with their calves. Their long history with humans has made them an emblem of the Scottish Highlands and a favourite quarry for European hunters.
Red Stag can be found in the following location:
Red Stag has the following variations:
- (Varieties to be confirmed)
