Connecting the dots: red deer vs. roe deer
Martin Ivanov
To experienced hunters, distinguishing between various animal species is a cinch. But to those just starting to venture into the great outdoors, certain animals can be a great challenge. Perhaps the most commonly mistaken ones are red deer and roe deer. So, if you, too, find yourself confused between the species, we’ve prepared something special – a very thorough and informative article by our brand ambassador Krzysztof Turowski from Poland, where he focuses on all the differences and similarities between the roe and red deer.
The brief introduction
Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is one of the smaller and most frequently seen species of deer in central Europe. Despite the fact that both male and female are called roe deer, there is a common view that it is the red deer’s (Cervus elaphus) “wife”. It is quite interesting considering the weight of both males (called roebucks) and females (called does), ranging from 15 to 25 kg. Of course, there are heavier individuals weighing slightly more than 25 kg, but not as much as the red deer.
The hind – a female red deer – weighs from 70 to 120 kg, while the male red deer, stag or hart, weighs from 100 to 250 kg and upwards. The stag’s weight is at least 10 times as much as the roe deer’s, so from a technical point of view, the mating of these different species could be problematic. Interestingly, the antlers of a stag can reach the weight of the whole do.
