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As
Europe Developed, Red Deer were hunted in the dark forests of Europe by
the village hunters. In the early ages, Red Deer were farmed by the Romans
in large game preserves with stone walls. As kingdoms developed, Kings
reserved large tracts of land so deer could be protected and harvested
in the fall. Even before the Americas were discovered, Red Deer were an
integral part of the European culture, folklore, and cuisine. The folklore
of Grimm's Fairy Tales refer to the Hart, or Stag (male), Red Deer in children's
stories. The majestic Red Deer is found in England, Ireland, Germany, France,
Hungary, Denmark, Sweden, and Yugoslavia.
Male
Red Deer, or "Stags," can grow to a weight of 550 pounds, while the
females, or "hinds," Can reach 210 pounds at maturity. The Female red deer
have an average expected productive life of 14 years. They begin breeding
as yearlings and on the average produce one offspring per year, with an
even split between male and female.
Red
deer are pastured in summer with little or no feed supplements, while in
winter full feed supplementation is provided
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