Red Stag Hunts in Central Texas

One of the most popular game to pursue at Rock Creek Ranch is Red Stag. This hunt of a lifetime provides an ample amount of the best-tasting venison and a beautiful trophy any hunter will be proud of. Although there is no seasonal restriction on when to hunt these gorgeous creatures, they typically shed their velvet and head into rut in early September and keep their antlers until March. While in velvet, their antlers can grow up to an inch per day to eventually produce the coveted Crown on top.  

You may hunt our Red Stag at Rock Creek Ranch using any method you prefer;  bow or crossbow, rifle, spot and stalk, pistol, ground blind, or safari style out of a vehicle. Depending on weather and habitat conditions at the time of your hunt this may change.  

Red Stag Facts and Hunting Information

Red Stags were introduced to Rock Creek Ranch in the early 2000s. Red Deer is the term used to refer to the species as a whole, and within the species, females are called hinds and males are referred to as stags. These animals range in size from 150-750 pounds, making them the fourth largest species of cervid in the world. Red Stags can hybridize with North American Elk and produce fertile offspring. Like the Elk, Red Stag also have a pair of ivory teeth. While Elk have the standard 6×6 antler configuration, Red Stags, on the other hand, can produce up to 20 points on each antler, thus making each Red Stag trophy unique.

To adapt to the warm Texas weather, Red Stags typically bed down in thick brush to provide shade in the heat of the day. Red Stags spend early morning and evening foraging for food when it is cooler. It is not uncommon to find the Red Stags wading or wallowing in ponds and creek beds. We recommend hunting Red Stag in Texas at Rock Creek Ranch from September to February due to the hardness of horn. 

Typical Weekend Hunt at Rock Creek Ranch

Gear List:

• Binoculars
• Range Finder
• Bow, Cross bow, or Rifle
• Camouflage
• Flashlight
• Rain gear
• Boots for muddy wet conditions or snake proof
• Coolers

Red Stag Hunt Package Pricing and Example

Our Red Stag Hunt Package Pricing includes two factors, All-Inclusive fee plus Trophy fee

Example:

All-Inclusive Fee for 2-nights, 3-days = $1,050 ($525 per night)

Plus Trophy fee ($5,500)

Trip Total = $6,550

All-Inclusive Fee of $525 per night includes:

• Home-cooked meals
• Beverages
• Lodging
• Personalized guiding experience by an experienced hunting guide with full transportation
• Cold Storage walk-in cooler
• Quartering and caping of animals

* Taxidermy delivery for processing and mounting is available for a fee

* Gratuities are appreciated and are not included in above pricing.

Average gratuities are 15-25% of the total hunt. Tipping guides, cooks, and skinners is appreciated.

Not included: Texas hunting licenses

Notice: This is a general price list. Price list may vary according to animals; some may be lower, and some may be higher. Any animal wounded will be charged at the full trophy as listed.

Contact us for More Information

The Red Stag “Roar”

It’s the beginning of fall in Central Texas and the red stags that roam the hill country are coming into the most exciting time of the year, the “rut.” In Texas the “rut”, or otherwise known as the “roar”, for the red deer starts in the month of September and goes through October as the weather temperature in Texas cools down a little bit from the hundred-degree heat in the summer. Late September and October mark the beginning of the roar. The “Roar” name comes from the deep sound that red stag bulls make during this period. But before this happens the weather and female red deer must cooperate in this annual occurrence.

Female red deer, otherwise referred to as Hinds start coming into estrus cycle, and this cycle is what drives the roar. The females start looking for the right red stag male companion. Red Deer are herd animals, and the dominant red stags try and round up as many hinds as possible, while kicking other males out of their herd to consist of just one dominant male. This is an intense time on the ranch where many of these red stags will start to rumble over hinds. 

As red stag males begin to venture off from their “bachelor” groups at the end of summer. Males start preparing themselves for the roar by rubbing the velvet off their antlers, typically occurring in July or August. During this time period, red stag bulls will find trees to rub their antlers on stripping the bark, breaking limbs, thus creating a territory. Often it is hot in Texas still in early September, red deer will be attracted to water holes and wallow in the mud. At this time and throughout the roar red stags will be covered in mud and will look grey. As the weeks of September crawl by mature males will be soon challenged by the younger red stags, typically three-year-olds. These three-year-olds will be able to start their first breeding season, as they will be large enough to battle dominant males. Many of these three-year-old red deer for their first time will have 6 to 7 points per antler to develop a crown. A Crown on a red stag is the furthermost point of the antler and typically spiders off into many points looking like a pointy club. The older red stags will get ready for another breeding season having one more year of experience to battle through the coming months, hoping to not be dethroned by the younger males. The roar is an exhausting time for the red stags, they are in constant movement herding hinds and pushing dominance over other red stag males. This time period will make red stag bulls drop a lot of weight going into the leanest times of the year. Males will hardly feed, chasing females for hours on end. This is the best time to observe from the field and to hunt red stag, during their most physically active period.

Red stags are the most vocal deer of all animals in the deer family and are very aggressive by nature. Red deer communicate with a series of mews and roars. The red deer hinds and calves communicate with a series of different mews. A roar is unique to each red stag, each red stag bull will have different attributes to their roar letting us know if it is an older or younger bull. It is a red stag bull’s way of advertising themselves to the hinds, and a way to intimidate other red stag bulls. This roar is a direction for hinds to locate males and intimidation factor for other males in the area.

Red stags are very aggressive and will often fight to the death. A battle will often come when two red stag bulls of similar size and aggression will not back down. These intense battles can result in broken antlers, injuries, and death. Hunting Red Stag during the roar is the best time to find a mature bull. The earlier in the roar the better, weight will be held on red stags, exhaustion will not be as prevalent, and antlers will be in fully tact. Hunting Red Stag in the roar consists of the spot and stalk method, listening for roars, and potentially finding a mature male. Red stag battles can be a horrific slow death if one of the animals are injured. So, our goal is to make sure we are hunting the oldest males in the herd, to make sure the natural order is in line. The meat on red stag is hands down our favorite and existing clients favorite on the ranch. Red Stags yield large steaks and plenty of ground venison to feed families for months. So, this is by far one of the most exciting hunts here at Rock Creek Ranch. The opportunity to witness these species in the wild during the roar is very exciting, and the ability to produce meat for your entire family surely makes this a special hunt. We hope to see you in the Texas hill country soon and experience this magical time.