Saw My First Sika Deer
 

I was at my in-law's for the weekend down on the Eastern Shore in southern Maryland. We decided to take a hike over at Chincoteague. Not only did I see a couple of whitetails, but I saw my first live sika deer. There were four of them. These are pretty cool deer. Does anyone hunt them? I hear it's a challenge.

Scott Meier
White Oak Lodge

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

I also understand that they're not truly deer, but more closely related to elk. I heard that they bugle just like their larger cousins out west.

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

Barnes they do have deer hunts on Assoteague island every year for both Whitetail and Sika. I do not remember the year, but I beleive the sika were introduced to the island by the boy scouts. The hunts are by drawing I think, and are tightly controled.

The Tazman

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

I hunt them, and Mizzou's right on. They're a miniature elk from SE Asia that were "stocked" by a boyscout troop around the turn of the century. They spread out and live in all the wetlands in that area.
Everyone calls them deer anyway, but the males are usually called stags, and the females, does. I love hunting those guys, and only the whitetail rut pulls me away.
Very challenging, with a completely different set of tactics. Very fun.

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

6ptsika, do you hunt them on the Va. or Md. part of the Island? How do they work the permits and what kind of weapons are allowed? Limits?

The Tazman

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

Cool, I seen some already neat little critters

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

No, leave them alone. They are quite nasty, have big fangs and will chase you...They stink, are not a good challenge, explode when shot, cost lots and lots of money to hunt, will make your hair turn grey, can climb trees and will attack treestand occupants. They'll trash your truck if left unattended and they can spit tobacco juice 100yds, accurately.

They taste, at best, like a soyburger dipped in axle grease.

Go away, do not hunt them.....:):)

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

I don't hunt them on the Island, I hunt in MD, Dorchester County. You can probably get the info off the Va website, or the MD DNR website. In Md, you're allowed, 2 per season, only one buck. That gives you 2/ea for bow, rifle, and MZ. If you hunt public land, there's no permit, just the regular liscense. I'm not sure about the permit fee for the Island, maybe like $25. I don't think it's difficult to get a permit, but I think it's only for bow and MZ. In MD, you can hunt them with any weapon in the regular seasons, they have the same basic season dates as whitetails.
And I forgot, they do taste like soyburger, they stink, are mean, bite hunters...

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

Bite hunters? I was trying not to scare anyone now 6pt....but, since you mentioned it, yes, they will sneak up and bite you in the arse....or at least blast this incredibly loud whistle in your ear...

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

6-point, I think you're trying to keep me out of Dorchester county! I'm sure that being cousin to elk, they taste terrible, right?

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

If they taste that bad and are that mean, I will out of the kindness of my heart buy an out of state license and help eradicate those foul beast!!!!

The Tazman

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

I shouldn't mention the greenbriar, swamp muck or the skeeters, how about it 6pt.....

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

Or the poison ivy!!
Forget that scent control nonsense, you try that foolishness in those marshes, the searchers will find your dried out, mummified remains, or at least what the skeeters left..
One boy in my club shot half a box of steel #4 before he realized they weren't mallards...
Hope you fellas like hunting in hip boots, because a sika likes water up to his knees. We appreciate the offers, but you guys don't want to get involved with these little goat-like critters. Hardly enough meat to make it worth floating them out. A mature stag only goes about 80lbs, anything over that is a big one. The does mature at about 45-50lbs. Not worth the nonresident liscense, really.
They bugle like elk, but they won't come into a bugle. They'll just keep hollering and letting you know your stand is over 200yds too far. Then the next day, he'll be back over...well, you know.

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

Don't waste your time on something no bigger then a dog. Although caring them out in your field coat is easier then dragging.

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

Hey Taz, Here in Va they are considered a nuisance species so we can hunt them all year around if we can get access to an area that holds them. Check the rules and regulations booklet for VA.
I'd like to get out there and bow hunt for them. I here they taste like elk.

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

Quite often I go down on the Eastern shore of Va. with a buddy of mine and we see them everywhere, tiny little rascals. We go around the Deep Creek area. Onaancock, Accomack County. They've got to be aq nuisance....

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RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

O2bhuntin do the sika have a different season than the WTD? We vacation there and it would be neat to take the whole family up there while I hunt as a bonus.

The Tazman

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RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

Tazman, if you get a chance, take advantage of it. They are great fun, although it will take a while to adapt your whitetail tactics. They can be hunted over scrapes and wallows, most effectively in the Oct rut. Hearing them bugle is awesome.
You won't be as successful hunting from the ground, your best bet is a treestand set over some recent sign. They have fabulous eyesight, and camo as well as good cover is mandatory.
I'm trying to get some pictures scanned so I can show you some good sized stags. In the early part of the season, the spots are very evident, and the stags, with their manes and beards, make excellent looking trophies.

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

Sikas are a little more nocturnal than whitetails. They mostly are seen at dusk or dawn unless you push them. Fishing Bay WMA in dorchester county has over 28,000 acres open for public hunting. It is a saltwater tidal marsh ideal sika country but different than most whitetail hunts. Very wet you have to have high rubber boots or hip waders. And the best access is by boat only. These areas are very thick and you cant even walk thru them. You have to hunt the openings. Or the edges of the thick brush. This is a rifle county during gun season. Like 6pt. said you can take 2 with each weapon bow,rifle or mz. 1 doe and 1 buck. These deer do not count against your limit for whitetails. You can also apply to hunt the Assateague Island National Seashore and you will get the permit. Your right cyclone the lower eastern shore has skeeters that are big enough to mate with a turkey flat footed. And one wrong step and you can sink into the swamp muck over your head. I dont want to scare anyone away from hunting these sikas but we do lose a couple of hunters every year. And as far as eating sikas dont waste your time if you get one just contact me and I will come and get it and properly dispose of it on my grill. LOL

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

My in-laws live on Deal Island(Dames Quarter), near Princess Anne and Salisbury Maryland. Do I have good sika country by me? I have a buddy who asks me to Dorchester County but I never have time. What do you guys think? Am I amidst the sikas now?

Scott Meier
White Oak Lodge

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

Let's see if these work.

http://ttmb.net/pics13/img003.jpg

and http://ttmb.net/pics13/sika.JPG

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

Barnes, I believe you have sikas in that area, I think that's Wiccomico county? I know a couple guys who have some property a few minutes from Salisbury, and they have a couple sikas now and then. Either way, you're within 45 min or so of some, I would think.
The pictures above are an average stag next to a whitetail buck, 75lbs versus 172lbs, taken this Nov.
The other one is a really nice stag, placed first in the blackpowder category at the MD Big Buck awards fro that year. He went 100lbs, and is the largest I've seen in person.

RE: Saw My First Sika Deer
 

BarnesX.308, your in laws are sitting right in the middle of the Deal Island WMA 13,000 acres of public hunting. Yes that is sika country, in the tidal marshes. Also whitetails in the upland areas. You can hunt there with a rifle/shotgun, muzzleloader and bow during the seasons. And your friends place in Dorchester county may have lots of sikas if its close to the water or whitetails if its more upland. The Eastern shore of Md. has put many whitetails into the B&C record books.