Gentlemen,

I would need information about white-tailed deer in Europe and would appreciate any information you might have. I live in Finland and as you may know, we have them in large numbers, thanks to the translocating operations.
However, I recently heard that there have been some other translocating operations in the history, in which white-tailed deer were imported from the USA and released in Europe. Those that I've heard of were Austria in 1870, Chechoslovakia 1890-1906 and Yugoslavia 1970-73.
If you have any information about these operations or if you know about whitetailed-deer and their hunting in Europe besides those that live in Finland, I would be very happy �f you shared it with me.

JTH,
honestly speaking, it is the first time that I hear about w-t deer in Europe.
Probably because I prefer to go to hunt in the country where they are aborigine.

bye

Not Europe but whitetail were released and still exist in New Zealand on Stewart Island and near Queenstown.

NitroX: Thanks for the info. Do you know if they are being hunted in NZ?

Steve: Did you know we have them in Finland? They are actually quite plenty here. I know one hunting club which shoots about 500 whitetails evry year from their areas. Their area is less than 10 000 hectares.

All info is still very appreciated.

When I was in the Czech republic, our guide said there were whitetail deer that could be hunted on other properties, but I don't know how many...
I doubt whitetails in Europe/New Zealand will ever get the kind of racks you see in Canada/midwest...

Yes, whitetailed deer are being hunted in NZ. Main area: Stewart Island.
- mike

JTH,
I did not know anything about Finnish w-t deers until you opened this topic.
About American or esotic animals imported and escaped in Europe, I know that raccoons in Germany, for example, or the nutria (myocastor coypus) in Italy.
About Finland, instea, I recently read a tale on an Italian hunting magazine, about white partridges and hares hunt, on the snow, with .22 rifle.
This took my attention, and I think to look forfor info about this kind of hunt.
bye

Steve that type of hunt can easy be aranged here in sweden!
If you with partridge mean grouse they are allowed to hunt until 15 of mars, hare is allowed to end of februar.

Kimmo

http://www.jagareforbundet.se/viltvetande/ovrigaarter/fjallripa.asp

http://www.jagareforbundet.se/englishhuntinginsweden/default.asp

Boghossian: Do you know if those whitetails were wild animals or living in a fenced area?

DUK: I don�t really know more about that hunting club, since I just heard about them from a friend who had had a visit there. My own hunting land is located in a different part of Finland where we don�t have whitetails, and I haven�t shot any myself. I need some information about whitetails for a project I�m working on, and that�s why I�m making these inquiries.

Steve: If they really were hunting hares with a .22 (meaning LR?) it was illegal because that isn�t good for hares around here
The grouse is allowed to be shot with a .22. They mostly live in Lapland.

I have made swap hunts twice with a hunting club at a place called Alastaro in Finland. They have realy much of white-tailed deer. They shot about 400 deers a year on 12-14 000 hectars.

They best way to arrange a swap would be to advertise in a finish hunting magazine in english. Then your now that the person you get in contact with speaks english.

Diana Tours arrange hunts to Finland to a place called Fiskars.

In Finland you sit in a small house either on poles or on the ground. You have bait like carrots or similar in front and wait until it gets dark and the deer comes out to feed.

Your are allowed to hunt white-tailed deer around the clock in Finland.

JanG

Nordic and JTH,
thank you, we have to speak about this possibility.
.22? no not .22LR, I was thinking about 22Hornet
Always forbidden for hares?
bye

In Sweden only class 3 and 4 rifles are allowed for grouse in the scandinavian alps, class 3 includes 22hornet, 22magnum, 357magnum and like, class 4 ,22lr ,17rem and like.

Kimmo

Kimmo,
I've already saved the English link. Are you involved in the business?
Or can you suggest me some serious agent?
This request is valid for any nordic friend, Finnish, Norwegian or Swedish.
The only problem is that I always Skied on mountains and never practiced nordic sky or biathlon .... But it should not be too difficult to learn. I hope
bye

Steve check your mail!

I did, I'll reply asap.