Deer Hunter (series)
# Deer Hunter (series)

Deer Hunter is a series of hunting simulation video games. Originally available for Windows platform published by WizardWorks, it was also published on Mac, and later on Game Boy Color, PlayStation 2, and mobile phones.The first Deer Hunter game was an early success in the casual game market.

The original game was released in November 1997. In 2003, Southlogic Studios was commissioned by WizardWorks to develop Trophy Hunter 2003; and because of Trophy Hunter's success, they took over the development of the Deer Hunter franchise, with Deer Hunter 2004 and Deer Hunter 2005, distributed by Atari. Glu Mobile acquired the entire franchise in April 2012. The original Deer Hunter and its sequel Deer Hunter II have also been released for Macintosh computers.

Gameplay usually takes place in a thick forest or meadow during different seasons of the year. Animals and objects other than deer can be seen while playing, including Bigfoot and UFOs in some incarnations, but these serve no purpose other than scenery. Some animals may be shot and killed, but the player receives no trophy and will be penalized if the animal was a protected species. In the latest versions, players can also manage a deer herd with deer growth and genetics deciding the traits of offspring.

The franchise's main line games are: 1997's Deer Hunter, 1998's Deer Hunter II, 1999's Deer Hunter 3, 2001's Deer Hunter 4, 2001's Deer Hunter 5, 2002's Deer Hunter 2003, 2003's Deer Hunter 2004, 2004's Deer Hunter 2005, and 2008's Deer Hunter Tournament. After the release of Deer Hunter Tournament, every game bearing the franchise's name has been a mobile version, and there has not been a full-fledged game since; however, some of these versions have seen ports on Steam, to poor reviews.

## Games

| Title | Details |
| - | - |
| Deer Hunter Original release date(s): NA: November 13, 1997 | Release years by system: 1997—Windows 1998—Macintosh 1999—Game Boy Color |
| Deer Hunter Original release date(s): NA: November 13, 1997 | Notes: Developed by Sunstorm Interactive and published by WizardWorks Released a year later by MacSoft for the Macintosh system Released for the Game Boy Color in 1999. It was developed by Morning Star Multimedia and published by Vatical Entertainment It includes 3 different hunting locations, 3 weapons and 5 different accessory items A version was planned to be released for the Game.com by Tiger Electronics but was cancelled |
| Deer Hunter Companion Original release date(s): NA: September 30, 1998 | Release years by system: 1998—Windows |
| Deer Hunter Companion Original release date(s): NA: September 30, 1998 | Notes: Published by WizardWorks It is an expansion pack for Deer Hunter: Interactive Hunting Experience Contains the Deer Hunter Companion book and an add-on CD-ROM which has five new hunting locations, videos and tips |
| Deer Hunter II: The Hunt Continues Original release date(s): NA: October 31, 1998 | Release years by system: 1998—Macintosh, Windows |
| Deer Hunter II: The Hunt Continues Original release date(s): NA: October 31, 1998 | Notes: Developed by Sunstorm Interactive and published by WizardWorks It is the sequel to Deer Hunter: Interactive Hunting Experience It was developed using SCS Software's TERRENG engine and has 20 accessories and 30 weapons. |
| Deer Hunter's Extended Season Original release date(s): NA: May 13, 1998 | Release years by system: 1998—Windows |
| Deer Hunter's Extended Season Original release date(s): NA: May 13, 1998 | Notes: Developed by Sunstorm Interactive and published by WizardWorks It is the second expansion pack for Deer Hunter: Interactive Hunting Experience It adds three new stages and a Black Powder Muzzleloader |
| Deer Hunter II: Extended Season Original release date(s): NA: December 31, 1998 | Release years by system: 1998—Windows |
| Deer Hunter II: Extended Season Original release date(s): NA: December 31, 1998 | Notes: Developed by Sunstorm Interactive and published by WizardWorks It is the expansion pack for Deer Hunter II: The Hunt Continues It adds monster mule deer, 12-gauge slug shotgun w/ scope, three new accessories, a map editor, companion CD-ROM and a strategy guide. |
| Deer Hunter 3: The Legend Continues Original release date(s): NA: October 1, 1999 | Release years by system: 1999—Windows |
| Deer Hunter 3: The Legend Continues Original release date(s): NA: October 1, 1999 | Notes: Developed by Sunstorm Interactive and published by WizardWorks It is the third game in the series and was developed using SCS Software's TERRENG 4.0 engine It features 10 weapons, over 15 accessories and has the ability for play over the Internet provided via GameSpy. |
| Deer Hunter 3 Gold Original release date(s): NA: February 29, 2000 | Release years by system: 2000—Windows |
| Deer Hunter 3 Gold Original release date(s): NA: February 29, 2000 | Notes: Developed by Sunstorm Interactive & Sylum Entertainment and published by WizardWorks It is an updated version of Deer Hunter 3: The Legend Continues which adds 3 new Wisconsin stages, a 7mm Mag Rifle, a few accessories, and a Play-The-Deer mode where player becomes the hunted |
| Deer Hunter 4: World-Class Record Bucks Original release date(s): NA: January 15, 2001 | Release years by system: 2001—Windows |
| Deer Hunter 4: World-Class Record Bucks Original release date(s): NA: January 15, 2001 | Notes: Developed by Sunstorm Interactive and published by WizardWorks It is the fourth game in the series which has three deer species, more detailed antler modelling and an online trophy trading system |
| Deer Hunter 5: Tracking Trophies Original release date(s): NA: August 29, 2001 | Release years by system: 2001—Windows |
| Deer Hunter 5: Tracking Trophies Original release date(s): NA: August 29, 2001 | Notes: Developed by Sunstorm Interactive & Sylum Entertainment and published by WizardWorks It is the fifth game in the series and features new locations and multiplayer support for computer controlled 'bot' hunters It was later released by Atari for digital download |
| Deer Hunter 2003: Legendary Hunting Original release date(s): NA: October 16, 2002 | Release years by system: 2002—Windows |
| Deer Hunter 2003: Legendary Hunting Original release date(s): NA: October 16, 2002 | Notes: Developed by Sunstorm Interactive and published by Infogrames It is the sixth game in the series and incorporates the ability to design custom weapons |
| Deer Hunter 2004 Original release date(s): NA: October 13, 2003 | Release years by system: 2003—Windows |
| Deer Hunter 2004 Original release date(s): NA: October 13, 2003 | Notes: Developed by Southlogic Studios and published by Atari It is the seventh game in the series and the first to be developed by Southlogic Studios |
| Deer Hunter Original release date(s): NA: December 22, 2003 | Release years by system: 2003—PlayStation 2 |
| Deer Hunter Original release date(s): NA: December 22, 2003 | Notes: Developed by Coresoft and published by Atari It is the first game in the series to be released on PlayStation 2 Features 17 weapons, a multiplayer mode is supported via broadband connection only and online tournament play |
| Deer Hunter 2005 Original release date(s): NA: September 28, 2004 | Release years by system: 2004—Windows |
| Deer Hunter 2005 Original release date(s): NA: September 28, 2004 | Notes: Developed by Southlogic Studios and published by Atari It is the eighth game in the series and features six hunting sites and five deer species |
| Deer Hunter Original release date(s): NA: November 30, 2004 | Release years by system: 2004—Mobile phone |
| Deer Hunter Original release date(s): NA: November 30, 2004 | Notes: Developed and published by Sorrent It is the first game in the Deer Hunter series to be made for the mobile phone |
| Deer Hunter 2 Original release date(s): NA: October 10, 2006 | Release years by system: 2006—BlackBerry, Mobile phone |
| Deer Hunter 2 Original release date(s): NA: October 10, 2006 | Notes: Developed and published by Sorrent |
| Deer Hunter Tournament Original release date(s): NA: October 14, 2008 | Release years by system: 2008—Windows |
| Deer Hunter Tournament Original release date(s): NA: October 14, 2008 | Notes: Developed by Southlogic Studios and published by Atari It contains several trophy animals and hunting locations The animals have AI in that they can use their senses for protection, aggressive towards humans, eat, sleep and swim It has tournament options allowing play in online tournaments A version was planned to be released for the Xbox 360 but was cancelled |
| Deer Hunter 3 Original release date(s): NA: August 12, 2009 | Release years by system: 2009—BlackBerry |
| Deer Hunter 3 Original release date(s): NA: August 12, 2009 | Notes: Developed and published by Glu Mobile |
| Deer Hunter 3D Original release date(s): NA: May 15, 2009 | Release years by system: 2009—iOS 2010—Palm WebOS 2011—Android, Windows Phone |
| Deer Hunter 3D Original release date(s): NA: May 15, 2009 | Notes: Developed and published by Glu Mobile It is the first game in the series on the iOS |
| Deer Hunter: African Safari Original release date(s): NA: August 19, 2010 | Release years by system: 2010—iOS, BlackBerry 2011—Android |
| Deer Hunter: African Safari Original release date(s): NA: August 19, 2010 | Notes: Developed and published by Glu Mobile |
| Deer Hunter: First Shot Original release date(s): NA: September 30, 2010 | Release years by system: 2010—iOS |
| Deer Hunter: First Shot Original release date(s): NA: September 30, 2010 | Notes: Developed and published by rockifone.com |
| Deer Hunter: Bow Master Original release date(s): NA: October 1, 2010 | Release years by system: 2010—iOS |
| Deer Hunter: Bow Master Original release date(s): NA: October 1, 2010 | Notes: Developed and published by rockifone.com |
| Deer Hunter Challenge Original release date(s): NA: December 1, 2010 | Release years by system: 2010—iOS 2011—Android |
| Deer Hunter Challenge Original release date(s): NA: December 1, 2010 | Notes: Developed and published by Glu Mobile |
| Deer Hunter Original release date(s): NA: November 29, 2011 | Release years by system: 2011—iOS |
| Deer Hunter Original release date(s): NA: November 29, 2011 | Notes: Developed and published by Pajenco A high-definition version was released for the iOS in December 2011 |
| Deer Hunter Reloaded Original release date(s): NA: February 3, 2012 | Release years by system: 2012—iOS 2013—Android |
| Deer Hunter Reloaded Original release date(s): NA: February 3, 2012 | Notes: Developed and published by Glu Mobile |
| Deer Hunter Online Original release date(s): November 2012 | Release years by system: 2012—Web browser |
| Deer Hunter Online Original release date(s): November 2012 | Notes: It is an online game that plays through your web browser and allows you to connect through Facebook |
| Deer Hunter 2014 Original release date(s): November 22, 2013 | Release years by system: 2013—Android & iOS. |
| Deer Hunter 2014 Original release date(s): November 22, 2013 | Notes: Available through the Android Google Play Store Developed and published by Glu Mobile |

### Compilations

| Title | Details |
| - | - |
| Deer Hunter: Monster Buck 4-Pack Original release date(s): NA: July 30, 1999 | Release years by system: 1999—Windows |
| Deer Hunter: Monster Buck 4-Pack Original release date(s): NA: July 30, 1999 | Notes: Developed by Sunstorm Interactive and published by WizardWorks It is a compilation which includes Deer Hunter: Interactive Hunting Experience, Deer Hunter's Extended Season, Deer Hunter Companion, and Deer Hunter Screensaver |
| Deer Hunter II: Monster Buck 3-Pack Original release date(s): NA: January 13, 2000 | Release years by system: 2000—Windows |
| Deer Hunter II: Monster Buck 3-Pack Original release date(s): NA: January 13, 2000 | Notes: Developed by Sunstorm Interactive and published by WizardWorks It is a compilation which includes Deer Hunter II: The Hunt Continues, Deer Hunter II: Extended Season, and the Deer Hunter: Huntin' Country Desktop screensaver |
| Deer Hunter: Trophy Collection Original release date(s): NA: October 31, 2003 | Release years by system: 2003—Windows |
| Deer Hunter: Trophy Collection Original release date(s): NA: October 31, 2003 | Notes: Published by Atari It is a compilation which includes three full games; Deer Hunter 2003: Legendary Hunting, Trophy Hunter 2003: Legendary Hunting and Bird Hunter 2003: Legendary Hunting |

### Cancelled games

| Title | Details |
| - | - |
| Deer Hunter 64 Original release date(s): | Release years by system: Nintendo 64 |
| Deer Hunter 64 Original release date(s): | Notes: Was to be published by Microwares before being cancelled |

## Reception

The original Deer Hunter released in 1997 sold nearly 64,700 units.

In the United States, Deer Hunter 4 sold 250,000 copies and earned $4.5 million by August 2006, after its release in November 2001. It was the country's 81st best-selling computer game between January 2000 and August 2006. Combined sales of all Deer Hunter games released between January 2000 and August 2006 had reached 1.4 million in the United States by the latter date.

