Deer are among the most common sights in the Skyrim wilderness: pale grey grazers that wander the meadows and forest edges, and that bolt the instant they notice you. They never pose a threat, but they are a staple prey animal for the province’s predators and an early source of meat and hide for any hunter learning Archery. The family also includes two oddities: the softly glowing Vale Deer added by Dawnguard, and the White Stag, a unique beast tied to a Daedric Prince.
Variants
| Variant | Level | Health | Stamina | Soul | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer (female) | 1 | 50 | 25 | Petty | Smaller and slimmer, drops Small Antlers |
| Deer (male) | 1 | 50 | 200 | Lesser | Larger build, drops Large Antlers |
| Vale Deer (Dawnguard) | 1 | 50 | 25 | Petty | Hide and eyes glow pale green until it dies; drops Vale Deer Hide |
| White Stag | 1 | 50 | 25 | – | Unique; form taken by Hircine, regenerates health quickly |
Males and females share the same grey coat, so the easiest way to tell them apart is size: does are a little smaller and more slender, and even their antlers are modest. The Vale Deer looks less like a true deer and more like a pronghorn antelope, and because parts of its body glow in the dark it is effectively bioluminescent. The White Stag is a much bigger animal than a normal elk, with noticeably brighter fur.
Where to find them
Ordinary deer roam open country across the whole province, alone or in small groups, and you will usually spot them grazing or strolling slowly before they spot you. They share their range with elk, goats and foxes – and with the wolves and sabre cats that hunt them.
- Vale Deer – the hidden Forgotten Vale and Darkfall Cave, the route into it during the Dawnguard storyline.
- White Stag – appears only during Ill Met by Moonlight, which begins with rumours in Falkreath about a vagrant who savagely killed a little girl.
The White Stag and Hircine
During Ill Met by Moonlight, Hircine takes the shape of the White Stag, and your journal simply calls it the “great beast”. You have to bring it down before the Prince will talk to you. Once it falls, a spirit of the hunt greets you, describes itself as a single glimpse of the stalker mortals call Hircine, and sends you to Bloated Man’s Grotto to hunt the werewolf Sinding, who has fled there with the Ring of Hircine. If you refuse to kill him, the spirit points out that other hunters are already competing for the same prize. Oddly enough, for the living avatar of a Daedric Prince, the stag can still be soul-trapped.
Notes
- A loading screen describes deer as docile animals that feed many of Skyrim’s fiercer beasts.
- Casting Fury or Frenzy on a deer makes it attack, though it barely does any damage.
- A deer killed by a wolf or another animal may be missing its hide or meat when you loot it; it is unclear whether this is deliberate.
- Venison is the base for cooked dishes such as Venison Chop and Venison Stew.
