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A Mastreani or Muntjac trophy hunt is generally between $3,500 and $5,000.
Hunting Trophy Muntjac aka Barking Deer
Bucks have short antlers similar to a Pronghorn Antelope, that they use to defend their territory and win mating rights, but they generally fight for territory with their “tusks” (downward-pointing canine teeth). These visible tusks” are also found on the Chinese water deer. The deer have no seasonal rut and mating can take place at any time of year. Muntjacs may soon become the most numerous species of deer in England and, have crossed into Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in 2010.
Physical Characteristics
Reeves’s Muntjacs, also known as barking deer and Mastreani deer, are small deer with horns and fangs with a redish brown coat.
Native Habitat and Countries
Muntjacs are the oldest known deer, thought to have begun appearing 15–35 million years ago, with remains found in Miocene deposits in France, Germany and Poland. The present-day species are native to South Asia and can be found in Sri Lanka, Southern China, Taiwan, Japan (Boso Peninsula and Ōshima Island), India and Indonesian islands. They are also found in the lower Himalayas and in Burma.
Reeves’s Muntjac has been introduced to England, with wild deer descended from escapees from the Woburn Abbey estate around 1925.
Muntjacs have expanded very rapidly, and are now present in most English counties south of the M62 motorway and have also expanded their range into Wales. The British Deer Society coordinated a survey of wild deer in the UK between 2005 and 2007, and they reported that muntjac deer had noticeably expanded their range since the previous census in 2000.
Behavior/Social Characteristics
Muntjacs are of great interest in evolutionary studies because of their dramatic chromosome variations and several new species. The Indian muntja is the mammal with the lowest recorded chromosome number: The male has a diploid number of 7, the female only 6 chromosomes. Reeves’s muntjac has a diploid number of 46 chromosomes.