Chinese water deer

Scientific name: Hydropotes inermis

How weight is recorded: Carcass weight

Field notes

Appearance

Males are slightly larger than females with a stocky build, short legs, and a uniformly greyish-brown coat. Both sexes lack antlers; males possess elongated canine teeth (tusks) protruding 1–2 cm below the lip.

Size and weight

Males 3.3–4.5 kg, females 2.8–3.5 kg; body length 75–80 cm; shoulder height 32–35 cm.

Habitat

Chinese water deer inhabit reed beds, marshes, and wetland areas adjacent to slow-moving rivers and lakes. They favour tall, dense vegetation in lowland terrain, typically below 500 m elevation.

Distribution

Native to the Yangtze River valley in central China; feral populations now established in parts of Europe (UK, France) from escaped captive animals. Prefers marshy lowlands with extensive reedbed coverage.

Diet

Grazes and browses on grasses, sedges, clover, and aquatic vegetation; supplements diet with fallen fruit and browse in autumn and winter.

Behaviour

Primarily crepuscular and nocturnal; solitary or in small groups (2–4 individuals). Males are territorial; alert and quick to flee into water or dense cover when disturbed.

Hunting tips

Look for well-worn trails through reeds and droppings clustered in feeding areas; males leave scent marks on low vegetation. Approach into wind across open water or through reed margins at dawn/dusk when animals emerge to feed. Use stalking to close distance before flushing; exploit water to mask approach and movement.

Carcass weight

This species is logged by carcass weight — the animal weighed dressed, the way hunting teams normally report it.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 2 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.