The dark, secretive giant of the North Island forest. A deer that is a ghost. The sambar deer is a large, heavy deer, with a dark, grey-brown coat that blends into the shadows of the bush. The males grow long, rugged antlers with three distinct tines. They are shy, wary and incredibly difficult to see, spending most of their time hidden in the densest bush. A deer that does not want to be seen. These animals are the ghosts of the forest floor. They are primarily browsers, eating the leaves and shoots of native trees. Their browsing can damage the understory and prevent forest regeneration. They are also known to strip the bark from trees, a habit that can kill mature trees. Sambar deer are most active at dawn and dusk, spending the middle of the day hidden in thick cover. They leave few signs of their presence. A hunter can walk past a sambar hiding in the bush and never know it was there. Sambar deer have a reputation among hunters as the ultimate challenge. They are smart, wary and live in dense, difficult country. A trophy sambar is a prize worth months of effort. To see a sambar deer is to see a shadow. A dark, secretive, antlered ghost that slips through the bush and disappears before a clear look can be had. The sambar deer's wariness is legendary. They have excellent hearing and an even better sense of smell. They can detect a human from hundreds of metres away. They freeze when they sense danger, blending into the shadows. They move only when they are sure it is safe. The forest is dark. The sambar freezes in the shadows, dark coat blending, antlers still. A hunter walks past, ten metres away, and does not see it. The deer waits. The hunter passes. The deer slips away. It does not know it is a ghost. It does not know it is a challenge. It just wants to avoid being shot. A sambar that has been hunted becomes almost invisible. It knows the terrain, the wind, and the habits of its pursuers. It is the ghost of the forest, and it intends to stay that way.