Roe

The Roe (Capreolus capreolus) is the smallest large game of Hungary. It is, however, of great importance, since five of the world top 10 trophies were harvested in Hungary! This proves that the Carpathian Basin is an excellent environment for this game animal in terms of genetic and environmental conditions.

Full-grown roes weigh 55-65 pounds and live both in lowland and hilly habitats. They are characterized by a territorial behavior, which means that during the rutting period the bucks maintain their own area acquired through fierce battles. The stronger and more aggressive the buck, the better the quality of the area.

You can witness an interesting courtship ritual during mating: the buck chases the doe around and around on a clear meadow. The trampled grass they leave behind in the area is called “the witch’s ring” in the traditional hunting language.

The buck is a very jealous type, so during the mating season it is often hunted with a whistle. This is the most exciting way of hunting for a roe deer: luring the buck closer by imitating the sound of a doe or fawn is a real hunting experience.

The weight of a roe’s headdress, due also to the smaller size of the animal itself, falls behind that of the antlers of the red deer or the fallow deer; but a trophy above 17.64 oz. certainly deserves special attention. For many, however, there is an interesting feature of roe trophies: the antlers are often peculiarly shaped, abnormal. Its irregular shape endows the trophy with absolutely uniqueness, which makes this game animal particularly desirable for many hunters to hunt.