Deer

The Deer is a huntable animal in Age of Empires II, Age of Mythology, Age of Empires III, and Age of Empires IV.

Age of Empires II

Deer
Huntable animal
Hit points	5
Line of Sight	2
Food	140
Recommended no. of hunters	2-4

In Age of Empires II, the Deer holds 140 food.

Deer run away when hunted and take two arrows to be killed. They come in packs of at least three. They are comparable in every aspect to the Gazelles in Age of Empires and were apparently edited from them.

It is advisable to either push them towards a Town Center or Mill with a military unit or build a Mill nearby and hunt them with at least two Villagers in order to save time.

Before researching Hand Cart and/or Wheelbarrow, the optimal number of Villagers to hunt Deer with is between 3 and 4. 3 Villagers gather most of the food from a Deer carcass, before returning to collect the rest, while 4 Villagers gather all the food from a Deer (not counting food lost from decay). 3 Villagers are more efficient if they are ordered to redirect to a fresh Deer after one trip; four gain more total food, but ultimately gather fewer resources over time because they aren't returning to a drop off point with maximum resources each trip.

Trivia

• All Deer in the game have antlers, yet only males have them in real life and only for some months of the year because they shed and grow them annually.
• Although Deer are docile by default, they can be made to attack by using a trigger in the Scenario Editor. This is evidenced by a bug in the Vinlandsaga scenario that is caused when a Deer unwittingly walks into the tile previously occupied by Ornlu the Wolf. The "attacking" sprite of the Deer looks like a feeding Gazelle that shakes quickly, and causes only 1 damage after several seconds of attack.
• In-game Deer are not meant to be of a particular species, although the antler shape and slightly spotted back most closely resembles the Virginia deer (Odocoileus virginianus), which is actually American. They are present in all maps except African, where they are replaced by Zebras and Ostriches. This is consistent with the worldwide distribution of deer species.

Age of Mythology

Deer
Huntable animal
Hit points	20
Food	150
Recommended no. of hunters	1

The Deer in Age of Mythology appears in packs, wandering the map in Greek territories. It appears in two varieties, a female and a male (with antlers). They are replaced by Gazelles on Egyptian maps, and Elks and Caribou on Norse maps.

The species represented is probably the roe deer (as suggested by its history section), but the male's antlers actually resemble more the Virginia deer.

History

“	Scientific name -- Capreolus capreolus Size -- about 60 lbs. Diet -- buds, leaves, ferns, grasses "Deer" is used as a generic term for any hoofed animal with antlers, but also refers to specifc species within that group. Like all species within the group, except caribou, only male deer have antlers. The European or Western roe deer is a small deer native to Scandinavia and Russia. They live in small groups and are seasonally territorial.	”
—In-game help section

Gallery

Two Deer in-game

Age of Empires III

Deer
Huntable animal
Hit points	20
Speed	2-4
Food	400
Recommended no. of hunters	1

“	Medium herbivore.	”
—In-game description

In Age of Empires III, the Deer, this time appearing to be a white-tailed deer, has 20 hit points and can be taken down with two shots, or one with Blunderbuss. Its meat content is boosted to 400 food, making it a more appealing food source than e.g. the Berry Bush.

History

“

Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus Approx. Size: 120 lb. (hind); 220 lb. (stag) Diet: Buds, leaves, ferns, grasses "Deer" is used as a generic term for any hoofed animal with antlers, but also refers to a specific species within that group. Like all of these species, except caribou, only male deer have antlers. The white-tailed deer is found from southern Canada to as far south as Panama. They live in small groups and are seasonally territorial.

”

Trivia

• Although the History section names Panama as the southern limit of its distribution, the Virginia Deer can also be found in northern South America, from French Guiana to some parts of Peru.

Gallery

Deer, found in Carolina

The Deer's history portrait

Deer portrait in the Age of Empires III beta