Sika Hind harvested in tight bush off the end of Clements Mill Road on the 31st of June “20.
I saw the head & neck of this animal from about 50m through a small corridor of foliage so it was only when approaching after the shot I assessed she was old & thin.
Her teats had waxy plugs in them & were not expressing milk. Checking the bottom jaw showed large amounts of wear comparable to others I’ve had aged so I’m going to guess the Hinds age at 9.5 years.
Cheek pouches contained green goo & dead leaves. My careful attempt at finding uterine scars was unsuccessful but looking at her teats she has had fawns in the past.

The paunch was predominantly filled with very fibrous & stick material. Many dead leaves & lots of deer hair were also present. There were unchewed Pepperwood leaves in small numbers which I was amazed to find.
I guessed the dressed weight of this Hind to be 15kg & her overall condition to be poor. There was a small amount of heart fat but the carcass had a brown tinge I’ve seen on skinny deer before.
Having seen a few more deer in the area I reckon quality feed must be in short supply but given her age & probability she was a breeder not surprising she was on the thin side.
I enjoyed the experience my rudimentary science brought to this hunt & will continue to do more.
Cheers,
Steve White
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