Red deer red deer was the most prestigious quarry, especially the mature stag, which in England was called a hart. Red deer are held in captivity for a variety of reasons. The meat of the deer, called venison, was until recently restricted in the United Kingdom to those with connections to the aristocratic or poaching communities, and a licence was needed to sell it legally, but it is now widely available in supermarkets, especially in the autumn. The Queen still follows the custom of offering large pieces of venison to members of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom and others. Some estates
White stag of the white stag has often met with anger, because of its rare and elusive nature. For early man, the deer resprented a valuable resource, providing nourishment, clothing and other accessories; and the deer may have played a role in totemic culture. In "Guigemar", one of the twelve Lais of Marie de France (supposedly based upon tales of the Celtic Bretons), a white doe with antlers appears as an omen to the titular character. The white stag of Hungarian mythology was the subject of a children's book of the same name. "The White Stag" by Kate Seredy won the prestigious