Sika Deer Hunting

Sika Deer

(Cervus nippon nippon)

Current SCI all time record: Score 185 4/8 - Russia, Zavidovo - 10/92

Description: The Sika Deer (Cervus nippon) is a typical member of the family Cervidae that is closely related to the Red Deer and Wapiti and inhabit mixed coniferous and deciduous forests to the north, and mixed subtropical evergreen forests to the south. It is native to much of East Asia (absent from Hainan Island and the Ussuri Region of Siberia (also known as the Russian Far East), ranging from The Ussuri Region of Siberia southwards towards Korea, Manchuria and Northern and Southern China, with a possibly isolated population in Vietnam. It is also native to Taiwan and Japan and were possibly introduced to some other smaller western Pacific islands. The largest sika deer (occur to the north) are the Dybowski's Sika Deer (C. n. hortulorum) of Manchuria and Ussuri Region, and the Hokkaido Sika Deer (C. n. yesoensis) of Hokkaido Island in Japan. The Kerama Sika Deer (C. n. keramae) of the Ryukyu Islands is one of the smallest, and unlike other subspecies, the whole body (including the rump patch) is dark brown. The Formosan Sika Deer (C. n. taioanus) is rather large for an island form being larger than the Kerama Sika Deer and similar in size to deer from Southern China. There are several geographically separated subspecies, but due to the long history of the velvet antler trade (for medicinal values) and farming of Sika deer for antler production in much of China, Mongolia, and Siberia, the integrity of these subspecies is questionable as many populations have already mixed gene pools. Other deer raised for antler trade were various Asian Red Deer/Wapiti subspecies. The only exceptions are possibly the Dybowski's sika deer of Manchuria and Siberia, and the sika deer subspecies that survive in Japan and Taiwan (Note: Sika Deer and Sambar Deer have been farmed for velvet antlers in Taiwan).

Other Common Names:

Size:

Range: (Manchurian, Japanese, and hybrids): Primarily the Czech Republic, England, Ireland, and Russia; September - December.

Sika Deer have been introduced into a number of other countries including Australia, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Britain, France, Ireland, Jolo Island (south of the Philippines), New Zealand, Poland, Morocco and the United States (Maryland). In many cases they were originally introduced as ornamental animals in parkland, but have established themselves in the wild.

In Britain several distinct wild populations now exist. Some of these are in isolated areas, for example on the island of Lundy, but others are contiguous with populations of the native Red Deer. Since the two species hybridise, this is a serious conservation concern.

Natural History:

Hunting Characteristics: