- Joined
- Apr 19, 2005
- Messages
- 5,533
CORRECTED EDITION
With permission of Blues, I have brought over a post I wrote when a Buck knife thread got a little wild in the discussion of 'Stag' knife scales and handles. As a retired wildlife biologist I thought a level playing field on what deer species provide quality stag was in order. I bring it to you with the knowledge that out there in THIS forum is a lot of know-how about stag scales and handles and I welcome your additions to this thread.
Stag as we use it here in knife discussions is a catch all name for various species of deer whose antlers are used for knife handles.
Now for Deer 101 class.
First off, white-tails and mule deer can be used but are not as desireable or important as the other species mention here. Mulies are slightly better than white-tails. Both have large amount of 'pith' in the antler cross-section as compared to others.
Overall,antler is farily stable and quality 'stag' is much less prone to crack than that of poor quality.
For it's superior grip, we prefer the rough, dark color, lower sections near the antlers base. This is the area that also gets the most interaction with other antlers and numerous and varied species of plants and plant sap. The lower sections comand the highest prices for handle material. The smoother upper antlers and tips are also used but are considered less desireable.
So off we go around the world............................................. First to the land of true Stag.
Red Deer one of top two.
The Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) is one of the largest deer species. The Red Deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor and parts of western and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being the only species of deer to inhabit Africa. Red Deer have been introduced to other areas including Australia, New Zealand and Argentina. In many parts of the world the meat (venison) from Red Deer is used as a food source. In New Zealand the sheep farmers dislike them and they are frequently shot out of helicopters. This is also one of the two the top dog antlers because the old craftsman of Europe and England used it in what we consider the forerunners of the best knifes known in the western world. It's these guys we can blame for our antler addiction.
Sambar, Number one for pistol grips
Sambar (also sambur, sambhur, Tamil: Kadaththi maan, Assamese: Xor Pohu), is the common name for several large dark brown and maned Asian deer, particularly for the Indian species Cervus unicolor, which attains a height of 102 to 160 cm (40 to 63 in) at the shoulder and may weigh as much as 546 kg (1200 pounds), though more typically 162-260 kg (357-574 pounds). The coat is dark brown with chestnut marks on the rump and underparts. The large, rugged antlers are typically rusine, the brow tines being simple and the beams forked at the tip. In some specimens the antlers exceed 101 cm (40 in). Currently the most desired and most used to describe all stag scales. Asia haunts under increasing human pressure. Some are game ranched.
Ecology
Sambars are primarily browsers that live in woodlands and feed mainly on coarse vegetation, grass, and herbs. They are diurnal animals who live in herds of 5-6 members, grazing on grass, sprigs, fruit and bamboo buds.
Sambar in forestThese deer are seldom far from water and, although primarily of the tropics, are hardy and may range from sea level up to high elevations such as the mixed coniferous/deciduous forest zone in the Himalayan Mountains sharing its range with the Himalayan musk deer. These deer are found in habitats ranging from tropical seasonal forests (tropical dry forests and seasonal moist evergreen forests), subtropical mixed forests (conifers, broadleaf deciduous, and broadleaf evergreen tree species) to tropical rainforests. Their range covers a vast majority of territory that is classified as tropical rainforest, but their densities are probably very low there. In these areas, the deer probably prefer clearings and areas adjacent to water. They live as far north, according to Wild China, as the southern slopes of the Qinling Mountains in Central China. In Taiwan, sambar along with sika deer have been raised on farms for their antlers, which they drop annually in April to May. Sambars are a favorite prey item for tigers. They also can be taken by crocodiles, mostly the sympatric Mugger Crocodiles
Fallow Deer, notice palmated antler
The Fallow Deer was a native of most of Europe during the last Interglacial. In the Holocene, the distribution was restricted to the Middle East and possibly also parts of the Mediterranean region, while further southeast in western Asia was the home of a close relative, the Persian Fallow Deer (Dama mesopotamica), that is bigger and has larger antlers. Some game ranched in Texas.
A favorite target of Ted Nugent on his outdoor show.
Axis Deer, Famous for its spots and long antlers.
Axis Deer*
Order Artiodactyla : Family Cervidae : Cervus axix (Erxleben)
Description. A moderately large, spotted deer with three tines on each antler; the brow tine forms nearly a right angle with the beam and the front (or outer) tine of the terminal fork is much longer than the hind (or inner) tine; a gland-bearing cleft is present on the front of the pastern of the hind foot; upperparts yellowish brown to rufous brown, profusely dappled with white spots; abdomen, rump, throat, insides of legs and ears, and underside of tail white; dark stripe from nape to near tip of tail. Dental formula as in Cervus elaphus, but upper canines (the so-called elk teeth) usually lacking. External measurements average: (males) total length, 1.7 m; tail, 200 mm; height at shoulder, 90 cm; females smaller and usually without antlers. Weight, 30-75 kg in males; 25-45 kg in females.
The chital or cheetal (Axis axis)[2], also known as chital deer, spotted deer or axis deer is a deer which commonly inhabits wooded regions of Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and India. It is the most common deer species in Indian forests. Its coat is reddish fawn, marked with white spots, and its underparts are white. Its antlers, which it sheds annually, are usually three-pronged and curve in a lyre shape and may extend to 75 cm (2.5 ft). It has a protracted breeding season due in part to the tropical climate, and births can occur throughout the year. For this reason, males do not have their antler cycles in synchrony and there are some fertile females at all times of the year. Males sporting hard antlers are dominant over those in velvet or those without antlers, irrespective of their size and other factors. A chital stands about 90 cm (3 ft) tall at the shoulder and masses about 85 kg (187 lb). Lifespan is around 20-30 years(Ed note. This is not an typo from literature but I find it hard to believe). Game ranched in the USA. (TX)
The American contender....the Wapiti
The elk, or wapiti (Cervus canadensis), is one of the largest species of deer in the world and one of the largest mammals in North America and eastern Asia. In the deer family (Cervidae), only the moose, Alces alces (called an "elk" in Europe), is larger, and Cervus unicolor (the "Sambar" deer) can rival the elk in size. Elk are almost identical to Red Deer found in Europe, of which they were long believed to be a subspecies; however, mitochondrial DNA evidence from 2004 strongly suggests they are a distinct species.
Elk range in forest and forest-edge habitat, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves, and bark. Although native to North America and eastern Asia, they have adapted well to countries where they have been introduced, including New Zealand and Argentina. Their high level of adaptability poses a threat to endemic species and ecosystems where they have been introduced.
The Boy Scouts of Jackson Hole, WY as a age old tradition get to venture forth onto federal wildlife lands and pickup elk antler sheds in the areas where the yellowstone elk herd winters. Each May the antlers are auctioned off in batches and the proceeds go to the Scouts and other charities. Many are bought to go to the far east to be ground up into a powder to make a tea that is suppose to improve the manlyness of aging men. Living at 650 ft above sea level, walking up and down the Rocky Mtns. has a tendancy to lessen my manlyness.
The moose ( Alces alces) is a moose in North America and often called 'elk' in Europe, It is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the deer family have antlers with a "twig-like" configuration in comparison. There massive antlers are grown and shed yearly.
The range of moose is generally limited to the more wooded and 'wilderness-like' tracts of land in the northern regions of the northern hemisphere. Because of this extreme habitat, they are harvested in lesser numbers than other deer species and there shed antlers are found less frequently.
This northern haunt and remote habitats also apply to the reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), also known as the caribou when wild in North America, it also is a Arctic and Subarctic-dwelling deer, widespread and numerous across the northern Holarctic. Reindeer are ranched in the far north areas of Europe,Russia and Iceland.
Although knife scales can be made from theses "high north" species they are generally identified by using there animal name rather than the generic deer term of 'stag'. There size and unique shapes make them desireable for other artistic uses. In North America, Moose antler is more often found in use as knife handles than is Reindeer or Caribou.
In all species the diet of the individual as related to what is it's habitat provides the makeup and quality of nutrition which is a factor in antler size and density. More antlers used for commerical knife handles are picked up as sheds than are harvested from hunter taken animals. Many governments regulating hunting prohibit the selling of hunter taken antler. The uses of deer antler increases and knife makers are pressured by the new marketing of antler as Eco-friendly dog 'chews'.
But these Eco-shed collections also not without other difficulties as shed antlers are quickly utilized (gnawed an consumed) by large and small animals as a source of concentrated minerals. Weathering and sunlight can quickly degrade antlers especially in the more humid climates.
African antelope species are also seen frequently in use as knife handles but are not often described using the term 'Stag' but rather by species name.
FYI 300Bucks
With permission of Blues, I have brought over a post I wrote when a Buck knife thread got a little wild in the discussion of 'Stag' knife scales and handles. As a retired wildlife biologist I thought a level playing field on what deer species provide quality stag was in order. I bring it to you with the knowledge that out there in THIS forum is a lot of know-how about stag scales and handles and I welcome your additions to this thread.
Stag as we use it here in knife discussions is a catch all name for various species of deer whose antlers are used for knife handles.
Now for Deer 101 class.
First off, white-tails and mule deer can be used but are not as desireable or important as the other species mention here. Mulies are slightly better than white-tails. Both have large amount of 'pith' in the antler cross-section as compared to others.
Overall,antler is farily stable and quality 'stag' is much less prone to crack than that of poor quality.
For it's superior grip, we prefer the rough, dark color, lower sections near the antlers base. This is the area that also gets the most interaction with other antlers and numerous and varied species of plants and plant sap. The lower sections comand the highest prices for handle material. The smoother upper antlers and tips are also used but are considered less desireable.
So off we go around the world............................................. First to the land of true Stag.
Red Deer one of top two.
The Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) is one of the largest deer species. The Red Deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor and parts of western and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being the only species of deer to inhabit Africa. Red Deer have been introduced to other areas including Australia, New Zealand and Argentina. In many parts of the world the meat (venison) from Red Deer is used as a food source. In New Zealand the sheep farmers dislike them and they are frequently shot out of helicopters. This is also one of the two the top dog antlers because the old craftsman of Europe and England used it in what we consider the forerunners of the best knifes known in the western world. It's these guys we can blame for our antler addiction.
Sambar, Number one for pistol grips
Sambar (also sambur, sambhur, Tamil: Kadaththi maan, Assamese: Xor Pohu), is the common name for several large dark brown and maned Asian deer, particularly for the Indian species Cervus unicolor, which attains a height of 102 to 160 cm (40 to 63 in) at the shoulder and may weigh as much as 546 kg (1200 pounds), though more typically 162-260 kg (357-574 pounds). The coat is dark brown with chestnut marks on the rump and underparts. The large, rugged antlers are typically rusine, the brow tines being simple and the beams forked at the tip. In some specimens the antlers exceed 101 cm (40 in). Currently the most desired and most used to describe all stag scales. Asia haunts under increasing human pressure. Some are game ranched.
Ecology
Sambars are primarily browsers that live in woodlands and feed mainly on coarse vegetation, grass, and herbs. They are diurnal animals who live in herds of 5-6 members, grazing on grass, sprigs, fruit and bamboo buds.
Sambar in forestThese deer are seldom far from water and, although primarily of the tropics, are hardy and may range from sea level up to high elevations such as the mixed coniferous/deciduous forest zone in the Himalayan Mountains sharing its range with the Himalayan musk deer. These deer are found in habitats ranging from tropical seasonal forests (tropical dry forests and seasonal moist evergreen forests), subtropical mixed forests (conifers, broadleaf deciduous, and broadleaf evergreen tree species) to tropical rainforests. Their range covers a vast majority of territory that is classified as tropical rainforest, but their densities are probably very low there. In these areas, the deer probably prefer clearings and areas adjacent to water. They live as far north, according to Wild China, as the southern slopes of the Qinling Mountains in Central China. In Taiwan, sambar along with sika deer have been raised on farms for their antlers, which they drop annually in April to May. Sambars are a favorite prey item for tigers. They also can be taken by crocodiles, mostly the sympatric Mugger Crocodiles
Fallow Deer, notice palmated antler
The Fallow Deer was a native of most of Europe during the last Interglacial. In the Holocene, the distribution was restricted to the Middle East and possibly also parts of the Mediterranean region, while further southeast in western Asia was the home of a close relative, the Persian Fallow Deer (Dama mesopotamica), that is bigger and has larger antlers. Some game ranched in Texas.
A favorite target of Ted Nugent on his outdoor show.
Axis Deer, Famous for its spots and long antlers.
Axis Deer*
Order Artiodactyla : Family Cervidae : Cervus axix (Erxleben)
Description. A moderately large, spotted deer with three tines on each antler; the brow tine forms nearly a right angle with the beam and the front (or outer) tine of the terminal fork is much longer than the hind (or inner) tine; a gland-bearing cleft is present on the front of the pastern of the hind foot; upperparts yellowish brown to rufous brown, profusely dappled with white spots; abdomen, rump, throat, insides of legs and ears, and underside of tail white; dark stripe from nape to near tip of tail. Dental formula as in Cervus elaphus, but upper canines (the so-called elk teeth) usually lacking. External measurements average: (males) total length, 1.7 m; tail, 200 mm; height at shoulder, 90 cm; females smaller and usually without antlers. Weight, 30-75 kg in males; 25-45 kg in females.
The chital or cheetal (Axis axis)[2], also known as chital deer, spotted deer or axis deer is a deer which commonly inhabits wooded regions of Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and India. It is the most common deer species in Indian forests. Its coat is reddish fawn, marked with white spots, and its underparts are white. Its antlers, which it sheds annually, are usually three-pronged and curve in a lyre shape and may extend to 75 cm (2.5 ft). It has a protracted breeding season due in part to the tropical climate, and births can occur throughout the year. For this reason, males do not have their antler cycles in synchrony and there are some fertile females at all times of the year. Males sporting hard antlers are dominant over those in velvet or those without antlers, irrespective of their size and other factors. A chital stands about 90 cm (3 ft) tall at the shoulder and masses about 85 kg (187 lb). Lifespan is around 20-30 years(Ed note. This is not an typo from literature but I find it hard to believe). Game ranched in the USA. (TX)
The American contender....the Wapiti
The elk, or wapiti (Cervus canadensis), is one of the largest species of deer in the world and one of the largest mammals in North America and eastern Asia. In the deer family (Cervidae), only the moose, Alces alces (called an "elk" in Europe), is larger, and Cervus unicolor (the "Sambar" deer) can rival the elk in size. Elk are almost identical to Red Deer found in Europe, of which they were long believed to be a subspecies; however, mitochondrial DNA evidence from 2004 strongly suggests they are a distinct species.
Elk range in forest and forest-edge habitat, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves, and bark. Although native to North America and eastern Asia, they have adapted well to countries where they have been introduced, including New Zealand and Argentina. Their high level of adaptability poses a threat to endemic species and ecosystems where they have been introduced.
The Boy Scouts of Jackson Hole, WY as a age old tradition get to venture forth onto federal wildlife lands and pickup elk antler sheds in the areas where the yellowstone elk herd winters. Each May the antlers are auctioned off in batches and the proceeds go to the Scouts and other charities. Many are bought to go to the far east to be ground up into a powder to make a tea that is suppose to improve the manlyness of aging men. Living at 650 ft above sea level, walking up and down the Rocky Mtns. has a tendancy to lessen my manlyness.
The moose ( Alces alces) is a moose in North America and often called 'elk' in Europe, It is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the deer family have antlers with a "twig-like" configuration in comparison. There massive antlers are grown and shed yearly.
The range of moose is generally limited to the more wooded and 'wilderness-like' tracts of land in the northern regions of the northern hemisphere. Because of this extreme habitat, they are harvested in lesser numbers than other deer species and there shed antlers are found less frequently.
This northern haunt and remote habitats also apply to the reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), also known as the caribou when wild in North America, it also is a Arctic and Subarctic-dwelling deer, widespread and numerous across the northern Holarctic. Reindeer are ranched in the far north areas of Europe,Russia and Iceland.
Although knife scales can be made from theses "high north" species they are generally identified by using there animal name rather than the generic deer term of 'stag'. There size and unique shapes make them desireable for other artistic uses. In North America, Moose antler is more often found in use as knife handles than is Reindeer or Caribou.
In all species the diet of the individual as related to what is it's habitat provides the makeup and quality of nutrition which is a factor in antler size and density. More antlers used for commerical knife handles are picked up as sheds than are harvested from hunter taken animals. Many governments regulating hunting prohibit the selling of hunter taken antler. The uses of deer antler increases and knife makers are pressured by the new marketing of antler as Eco-friendly dog 'chews'.
But these Eco-shed collections also not without other difficulties as shed antlers are quickly utilized (gnawed an consumed) by large and small animals as a source of concentrated minerals. Weathering and sunlight can quickly degrade antlers especially in the more humid climates.
African antelope species are also seen frequently in use as knife handles but are not often described using the term 'Stag' but rather by species name.
FYI 300Bucks
Last edited:
