Care of Park Deer. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
In one of your issues in November, 1905, Mr. 
Chas. Hallock had a short article criticising the 
game laws of some parts of the United States, 
and pointing put that often these laws permitted 
the killing of male deer only at a time when the 
flesh is strong and permeated with animal odors. 
He pointed out also that “In Great Britain buck 
and stag venison, that is, fallow and red deer 
meat, is in season in August and September, 
and that, "on the other hand, hind venison and 
doe venison are in season at Christmas and in 
January.” This, of course, is quite true. 
In all English parks both does and hinds are 
in season from the first week in November co 
the first week in February ; that is to say, does 
six and seven years of age, whose fawns have 
been killed in the previous July. Here in Eng ¬ 
land these does are called “dry does.” 
It will generally be found, and more especially 
in hard winters, that does lose their fat very fast 
after Christmas, owing to the fawns they are 
carrying requiring more and more support as the 
time goes on. Their place may be taken in the 
latter part of the season by spayed does and 
haviers. Doe killing is one principal item in the 
management of park deer and should always be 
carefully attended to by killing off all the older 
ones every season, for nothing is more injurious 
to the well being of a herd than to breed from 
old, worn-out does. If this is not properly done, 
the herd will soon show the effects of it, in a 
number of inferior and under-sized animals. 
Fallow deer, both bucks and does, should be 
killed at six and seven years old. They will gen¬ 
erally improve in size and weight until they 
reach that age. Red deer will hold good a year 
or two longer than fallow deer; their constitu¬ 
tions and vitality appear to be somewhat 
stronger, and of the two they will stand cold 
rains and bad weather better than their smaller 
cousins. 
It is very seldom indeed that either a doe or 
hind will have twins, for after upward of forty 
years’ experience I remember but two or three 
cases of the kind. A certain number of dry does 
are generally killed in all parks during the au¬ 
tumn and winter months, and, of course, a cor¬ 
responding number of fawns would have to be 
killed the previous summer. 
Fallow deer are of many colors, ranging from 
pure white to jet black. I know of one herd 
down in the south of England which are all pure 
minevers. No doubt the variation in the color is 
in a great measure the result of crossing. In 
connection with the foregoing, gentlemen that 
are the owners of deer parks should introduce 
fresh blood in their herds occasionally, as a cross 
with a good strain is very beneficial, especially 
in poor parks. On rich land it is surprising how 
long a time a herd of deer will maintain their 
weight and size of heads without any change of 
blood, but even then a good cross would 1 improve 
the herd. Bucks are generally used for crossing 
purposes in preference to does, as it is more re¬ 
munerative and the color greatly depends on the 
sire. ' 
Marking Fawns. 
The good old custom of marking fawns must 
not altogether be lost sight of, although in small 
parks it is not always done, but in 1 all large parks 
that contain big herds of deer marking is most 
essential, as it is a good and sure guide to the 
park keeper at all times. It should be done an¬ 
nually and systematically. 
Six different marks should be used for six 
successive years. For the first mark, one-third 
of the right ear of the fawn should be cut off 
horizontally with a sharp knife. In the fawns 
of the following year the left ear should be 
treated in the same manner. -For those of the 
third year take the points of both ears off. The 
fourth year cut a piece clean out of the right- 
ear in a V-shape; the fifth year treat the left 
Third Mark. 
diagrams of ear marks. 
Uieproduced by permission of Spratts Patent, Ltd.) 
ear the same, and the sixth year cut a V out of 
both ears of the fawns, and you have the six 
marks. 
In parks where stall and paddock feeding is 
done, bucks would be taken up for fattening at 
six and a half years of age and killed at seven 
years old. A seventh mark is used occasionally, 
but not often. That is made by taking a half 
circle out of the right ear. I have seen this so- 
called seventh mark, but it is very seldom used. 
I had for some years the management of one of 
the largest parks in England, but I never used 
more than six marks, which I always found to 
be quite sufficient. I don’t consider a seventh 
mark ever necessary. 
Fawn marking should be done as early in June 
as possible, before the fawns have had time to 
get much strength. If the marking is not fin¬ 
ished before they are ten or twelve days old, 
muzzled dogs have to be used to run them down 
—a bad system, although sometimes it has to 
be done. One object in this marking system is 
to insure early fawns for stock, as these are 
certain to make the finest and best deer, and, of 
course, are never shot when the park keeper is 
fawn killing. A further object is to guide the 
park keeper when killing the adult deer, as it 
shows their ages and gives the keeper a better 
idea which deer to select. This is especially true 
in the doe season, as dry does are sometimes 
very deceiving as regards age. 
In many parks about 10 per cent, of the adult 
deer are annually killed; for instance, a standing 
herd of 1,000 head should produce fifty seven 
year-old bucks and the same number of dry does 
annually, but by killing a few less fawns 12 per 
cent, can be obtained. Deer should always be 
killed as cool as possible, especially fat bucks in 
summer, for if heated by running when the 
weather is hot the venison will turn a bad color 
and will keep but a very short time. 
Weight of Deer. 
The weights of grass-fed deer may vary con¬ 
siderably during successive seasons, depending 
on the circumstances of their lives. If the nature 
of the land is rich, with plenty of grass, bucks 
will reach heavy weights, while, on the other 
hand, if the summer has been dry or the park 
inclined to be poor and grass short through any 
other cause, the carcasses of grass-fed deer are 
sure to prove deficient. An abundant crop of 
acorns, beechmast, and wild fruit generally, 
greatly improves the weights of dry does and 
haviers. It requires a good grass-fed fallow 
buck to turn the scales at 120 pounds, and there 
are many killed every season under that weight, 
although in some parks grass-fed bucks will in 
a favorable season more than reach these fig¬ 
ures. I have known stall-fed bucks, when killed 
late in the summer, to reach from 150 to 160 
pounds. 
In some parks dry does weigh from 60 to 70 
pounds, but in many parks a 56-pound doe is 
considered good. I have killed many stall-fed 
haviers in the winter months that would scale on 
an average 115 pounds, or thereabouts, when 
dressed. It is hard to give reliable figures on the 
subject, as fallow deer vary so much in size of 
frame, that what would be considered heavy 
carcasses in some parks would not be so re¬ 
garded in others, although at the same time 
both deer might be equally fat. 
Red deer also differ considerably in size and 
weight. A grass-fed stag of 220 pounds in many 
parks would be considered good, and doubtless 
there are many killed under that weight, al¬ 
though I dressed a grass-fed stag in this park 
a few years ago that weighed 310 pounds when 
dressed. I also once slaughtered a stall-fed 
stag of eight years old that turned the scales at 
318 pounds. Hinds will generally range from 
no to 130 pounds, although if very fat they will 
occasionally reach 150 pounds. But any specific 
weights that would be correct for one park might 
not, in many instances, prove reliable for others. 
All the above mentioned figures refer to the 
clean carcass alone, without either head, skin or 
intestines. 
The weights of Japanese deer (Cervus sika) 
compare fairly well with moderately good fal- 
