anyone ever hunt shika deer?
12-07-2008, 03:09 PM
#11
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 7
RE: anyone ever hunt shika deer?
ORIGINAL: bigcountry
Ones in the wild are anything but followers. They will run a whitetail twice its size out of the swamps. And they are the most aggressive deer. They can run a hunter over. I have killed several wild ones, and are much tougher than whitetails. I don't know about exotics. I won't hunt em.
ORIGINAL: bull3540
They do well on game ranches that have other exotics like fallow and axis deer. I got mine near Ingram, Texas. When with other (exotic) deer it's clear that they are followers, not leaders. Since they aren't that popular I think their population is dwindling, but the meat is the absolute best, better than axis I think. If it's just a meat hunt you are after and the ranch has them I'd opt for one, if the price is the same for all exotics.
I think another reason they aren't sought after is that they are short and squatty with thick brown fur. They'd make good hair on buckskin I think. too.
They do well on game ranches that have other exotics like fallow and axis deer. I got mine near Ingram, Texas. When with other (exotic) deer it's clear that they are followers, not leaders. Since they aren't that popular I think their population is dwindling, but the meat is the absolute best, better than axis I think. If it's just a meat hunt you are after and the ranch has them I'd opt for one, if the price is the same for all exotics.
I think another reason they aren't sought after is that they are short and squatty with thick brown fur. They'd make good hair on buckskin I think. too.
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/sikadeer.asp
pics here;
http://www.thewildliferanch.com/sikadeer.htm
While exotics such as the sika can shift their feeding from forbs to grass, whitetails will die with a bellyfull of grass, thus leading to the inaccurate conclusion that they "run out" native deer from habitat that is really only subprime whitetail range. Numbers of sika and other exotics are above 250,000 in Texas alone.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/game_management/deer/exotics/
12-07-2008, 09:18 PM
#12
Guest
Posts: n/a
RE: anyone ever hunt shika deer?
ORIGINAL: bull3540
The sika, not being native to the U.S., is an exotic. They do not compete with whitetail deer. There are wild populations in several states including Texas. They tend to wallow in mud and can be found in creeks and riverbeds. Native to Japan they are shorter than whiletail deer, and have a shaggy coat that runs from dark red to brown, with some of the subspecies having spots similar to axis.
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/sikadeer.asp
pics here;
http://www.thewildliferanch.com/sikadeer.htm
While exotics such as the sika can shift their feeding from forbs to grass, whitetails will die with a bellyfull of grass, thus leading to the inaccurate conclusion that they "run out" native deer from habitat that is really only subprime whitetail range. Numbers of sika and other exotics are above 250,000 in Texas alone.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/game_management/deer/exotics/
The sika, not being native to the U.S., is an exotic. They do not compete with whitetail deer. There are wild populations in several states including Texas. They tend to wallow in mud and can be found in creeks and riverbeds. Native to Japan they are shorter than whiletail deer, and have a shaggy coat that runs from dark red to brown, with some of the subspecies having spots similar to axis.
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/sikadeer.asp
pics here;
http://www.thewildliferanch.com/sikadeer.htm
While exotics such as the sika can shift their feeding from forbs to grass, whitetails will die with a bellyfull of grass, thus leading to the inaccurate conclusion that they "run out" native deer from habitat that is really only subprime whitetail range. Numbers of sika and other exotics are above 250,000 in Texas alone.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/game_management/deer/exotics/
What I am saying isI won't hunt a pen raised and sold animal like most sikas are in TX. Exotic, or whatever.
12-13-2008, 02:51 PM
#13
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,363
RE: anyone ever hunt shika deer?
I can tell you guys from experience, if you have a big sika in the area that you are hunting, your mature whitetails will avoid that area.... We have one on our lease that is the biggest that I have ever seen hanging out by one of the stands on our lease, we get trail cam pic's of him every few days or so and if you go hunt that stand you don't see many whitetails and you WONT see any mature whitetails in that area, we have been trying to get this guy killed since the first of November to no avail..... They are aggressive animals and will ruin a perfectly good whitetail hunting spot...
If the other guys don't get him killed by the end of deer season, I will be back up there themiddle of January totry and kill him and get the whitetails coming back in that area again... They are almost as much of a nuisance as the hogs in that area..
If the other guys don't get him killed by the end of deer season, I will be back up there themiddle of January totry and kill him and get the whitetails coming back in that area again... They are almost as much of a nuisance as the hogs in that area..
12-13-2008, 03:00 PM
#14
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,363
RE: anyone ever hunt shika deer?
[/quote]
What I am saying isI won't hunt a pen raised and sold animal like most sikas are in TX. Exotic, or whatever.
[/quote]
Just for the record they are not all pen raised, yes at one point they might have been in a small or large high fence ranch, however that goes all the way back to the 1970's when all the exotic animals were starting to be introduced into Texas. However,Once these animalsescape and live completely wild they have guys like me looking to kill the heck out of them, now the animals that are still around are decendants of the ones that were in the game fences years ago andwill tell you from experience that they are wild, like I said before we have one on our place that has been as hard as any mature buck to kill , if not harder... I am not trying to change your mind about huntingthem in Texas, just making the point that thefree range animals are not like the ones you see on TV on some of the big game fenced ranches...
What I am saying isI won't hunt a pen raised and sold animal like most sikas are in TX. Exotic, or whatever.
[/quote]
Just for the record they are not all pen raised, yes at one point they might have been in a small or large high fence ranch, however that goes all the way back to the 1970's when all the exotic animals were starting to be introduced into Texas. However,Once these animalsescape and live completely wild they have guys like me looking to kill the heck out of them, now the animals that are still around are decendants of the ones that were in the game fences years ago andwill tell you from experience that they are wild, like I said before we have one on our place that has been as hard as any mature buck to kill , if not harder... I am not trying to change your mind about huntingthem in Texas, just making the point that thefree range animals are not like the ones you see on TV on some of the big game fenced ranches...
12-27-2008, 05:38 AM
#15
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 1
RE: anyone ever hunt shika deer?
"Hey" from the backwoods of Japan!
I have had the pleasure of hunting Sika ("Shika " in Japanese) for the last 6 seasons! There is a whole lot of info about these deer out there but much of it is based on rumor and guesses. I definately agree that they are a very wary species and quite challenging to hunt. Having put more than 50 of them in the freezer during regular hunting seasons and population control seasons, I have come to know "a little bit" about them. I highly recommend hunting them if you have the opportunity. I beleive they are as challenging as whitetail, if not more. (No offense to my WhitetailHunters) They also make some of the best table fare I have ever had.
If you want more info about Sika, please take a look at my blog. Here is an explaination of Sika names and species: http://yabanjinlifestyle.blogspot.com/2008/12/ma-jika-vs-nihon-jika-vs-ezo-jika.html
Here is my blog with a bunch of photos or Sika and other critters we hunt in Japan: http://yabanjinlifestyle.blogspot.com
I hope these help!
See you in the woods!
SK-1 OUT!
I have had the pleasure of hunting Sika ("Shika " in Japanese) for the last 6 seasons! There is a whole lot of info about these deer out there but much of it is based on rumor and guesses. I definately agree that they are a very wary species and quite challenging to hunt. Having put more than 50 of them in the freezer during regular hunting seasons and population control seasons, I have come to know "a little bit" about them. I highly recommend hunting them if you have the opportunity. I beleive they are as challenging as whitetail, if not more. (No offense to my WhitetailHunters) They also make some of the best table fare I have ever had.
If you want more info about Sika, please take a look at my blog. Here is an explaination of Sika names and species: http://yabanjinlifestyle.blogspot.com/2008/12/ma-jika-vs-nihon-jika-vs-ezo-jika.html
Here is my blog with a bunch of photos or Sika and other critters we hunt in Japan: http://yabanjinlifestyle.blogspot.com
I hope these help!
See you in the woods!
SK-1 OUT!
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