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Price for a Pere David’s Deer Hunt
The average price to hunt a Pere Davids Deer on a game ranch is between $1,000 for a doe / meat hunt, and up to $6,000 for a trophy buck. The final total depends on the size of the rack, trophy fee, rifle or bow hunt, number of days, taxidermy fees, guide fees, quality of accommodations, amenities and services available.
Hunting Season for Pere David’s Deer
All year.
Hunting Trophy Pere David’s Deer
The Pere David’s Deer has long, craggy antlers that look like tree branches with their slender build and many points. These antlers fall off and regrow twice through the year, with the summer antlers;which are lost in the late fall, typically in November;being larger than the winter antlers. In some cases, that winter set wont even grow. The antlers can reach an incredible length, though, often approaching 3 feet or more.
The Pere David’s Deer body is slender and well-proportioned, usually running out to about six feet in length and standing four feet tall at the shoulders. The tail can add another 20 inches in length. Though the weight varies, the average is right around 300 pounds.
In the summer, the Pere Davids Deer sports a coat that is reddish tan in color, but this changes in the winter to a gray color with white highlights. The hair also gets much thicker and more like wool in the colder months. There is a dark stripe near the shoulders, and males have a mane running down the throat. The tail itself has a black tuft on the end, leading to many comparisons to a donkey.
Native Habitats and Countries
The Pere Davids deer prefers areas with a lot of water, and it eats many water plants. It also eats grass, however, so grasslands are utilized frequently. It is well adapted to swampland, with hoofs that are elongated for walking on these types of soft surfaces. Though its not known for certain, it is believed that the Pere David originally came from China, probably in the northeast. This animal has actually been driven to extinction outside of captivity.
Behavior/Social Characteristics
The Pere David’s Deer enjoys swimming and wading, and the young deer have been known to play with one another in the water like seals. Though they travel in both maternal and single-sex herds, the males do fight one another, using their teeth and antlers. They will even stand sometimes to fight with their legs, looking like boxers in a ring.