http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c146/rushmoreman/sikalargephoto.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c146/rushmoreman/sikafullbody.jpg

These amazing deer originated from Manchuria and Japan. But thriving in North America, New Zealand, and portions of eastern Europe. Back in 1916, several breeding pair were released by citizens (without permission) onto small coastal islands of Maryland. They have flourished and moved to the mainland to sustain huntable populations.

Sika deer are also hunted at game ranches throughout USA. A good trophy weighs close to 200 lbs with antlers of 4 points on each side.
It is said their meat is tasty and more alike elk than deer but alas, I've yet to dine on sika steaks.

I've never hunted these deer. My sole reason for this post is to share with other hunters that many species of deer inhabit our planet. All created by our Lord for our good stewardship and use.
TR

looks kinda like an elk.

I hunted sika deer in England. To me they behaive more like elk than whitetails. The stags round up hinds (females) and herd similar to elk. The stags are often easily called and can be very aggressive. They are tough animals for their size. They can take more lead than anything I have ever hunted, they die hard.

My quarry of choice :D

I've been hunting these guys since December of 1993. And prefer them over whitetails. Thats not to say I do not like hunting whitetails , but if I were forced to only hunt Sika's I'd be way more then happy .
As it is I have to drive three and a half hours to get to my chosen Sika spots.

Nice Sika!
I highly recommend hunting these challenging animals! I am fortunate to live in Japan where we have a thriving wild population of Sika.
I beleive they are harder than whitetail, on average, to hunt. I also think that, just like whitetail, the true monsters are extremely challenging to hunt.
Yes, the meat is like mild elk meat, very tasty! Our favorite is to use a teriyaki marinade on thin slices and grill lightly!
Good to hear that Sika hunting is gaining popularity in the USA too.
Feel free to check out a few photos I posted on my Blog at http://yabanjinlifestyle.blogspot.com/

See you in the woods!
SK-1 OUT!

Thought this should be moved to the "Gamepole" forum for lack of something else. Interesting on the exotic species in the East. Such have been established on private ranches in Texas for years, while New Mexico has several species on public lands and issues permits for hunting them.