New Zealand Hunting - Sambar Stag

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The Sambar Stag is a browser which can subsist and flourish on coarser vegetation yet remain comparatively inconspicuous to all but the most observant bush users, including, of course, the Sambar Stag hunters. Another important factor in the benign colonization of its habitat is that it is a deer which does not congregate in herds, being mostly found alone, in pairs or small family groups.
 
As the Sambar Stag invariably sees the hunter before the hunter sees the Stag, a bush sighting of this big deer is usually a surprise encounter. Often the sighting will be heralded by an unexpected and startlingly explosive bark which is truly unforgettable. This sound is often followed by the impression of a large dark brown animal, a glimpse of the light colors of the underside of the flared tail and rump; then the crash of the heavy body in the undergrowth confirming the sighting of a big Sambar Stag.

A Sambar Stag is a big animal and it may attain a shoulder height of more than 4½ feet and when standing head up and fully alert an antlered stag dwarfs a six foot man by three feet. Rub marks on trees have been measured at close to 11 feet high. It is not a deer to underestimate in any way: the Sambar Stag is the largest, most powerful and tenacious-of life deer in the bush – plus it has the ability to think.

The female Sambar, correctly termed a “hind,” is smaller than the stag, but there are some very big Sambar hinds. Usually a hind will stand at about 3¾ feet at the shoulder and weighs about 300 pounds or more. (One captive hind weighed over 500 pounds). Big Sambar Stags will easily exceed this weight but the average would be something under 450 pounds.

The general color of the Sambar is a uniform brown, the shade varying with age, sex and perhaps season. Older stags may appear very dark - almost black; young hinds a light grayish brown. Young calves are not spotted white but are approximately the color of the adults. In marked contrast to the general somber coloring is the previously mentioned rear-end sighting of an alarmed Sambar of either sex. As the animal crashes away, the tail is raised over the back displaying the light colored skin, and brown to orange hairs of the tail and buttocks. The light buff hair of the inner legs adds to the unmistakable sighting. The body hair of the Sambar is coarse and bristle-like and flat in section.

Another notable characteristic is the striking frontal aspect of an alert stag or hind. The ears are large, round and bordered by a fine outline of light hair. The intent gaze is accentuated by the large pre-orbital glands which are usually averted when the animal is in a state of alarm. A ruff or mane which is raised about the neck of both sexes when alarmed heightens the impact of the sighting.

Although the Sambar Stag’s preferred habitat is forested mountain country it will also inhabit open forest provided there is some suitable heavier cover to hand. It is a ruminant which feeds on a very wide range of grasses, shrubs and tree foliage.

Availability of preferred foods, severe weather and disturbance by man induces local movement, but once colonized by Sambar the area is rarely totally abandoned by them. A wider movement occurs in late spring and summer when the deer move to higher ground from sheltered gullies at lower levels which it frequents in autumn and winter.

The Sambar is irregular in its breeding cycle and calves may be born at any time of the year, however, there is a peak in calving which occurs in May and June. This peak in the calf drop corresponds to a high point in breeding activity in September/October. During the breeding season or rut, the stag's territory is defined by saplings and trees which have been barked or rubbed by the antlered stag. Wallows are also used during the rut. Antlers may be cast irregularly but most usually in mid- summer, consequently many stags are observed to be in hard antler from May to December.

The Sambar Stag is the deer which offers the serious hunter the most exacting and exciting hunting experience.

After New Zealand Elk or Wapiti, Sambar stag are the second largest deer in New Zealand. They are extremely cunning and can live very close to human habitation. It is common for a stag to lie in thick brush, and let a hunter walk right by; moving off once the danger lessens. Sambar can be hunted from April to November and carry strong 3x3 antlers. We can also offer hunts in Australia for Sambar.  The Sambar Stag makes an awesome trophy.

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