Found in just about every climate and terrain on the planet, herds of deer have been hunted by primitives with spears (or now guns) for necessity and sport forever. During the Upper Paleolithic period, reindeer were the primary meat of Cro-Magnon people; in China, Homo erectus fed upon the sika deer; ancient Celts hunted red deer. Since deer were so plentiful (and so tasty), they also figured in the artistic culture and heraldry of many civilizations.