- Where are sika deer located in maryland

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Where are sika deer located in maryland 

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Where are sika deer located in maryland.Maryland Mammals

 

Updated: Mar 2, Because of their hardy nature and ability to eat a broad range of plants, leaves and crops, sika deer have been introduced around the world, in places such as Vietnam, Russia, Europe and the United States Maryland, Virginia, and Texas. Around the same time, Dr. Charles Law released sika deer on Assateague Island. Today, the Maryland herd is the largest free-ranging herd in the United States, with somewhere between 10, and 15, members.

It is interesting to note that the Virginia and Maryland herds do not mix. When the sika were first released, we had a very limited whitetail population. The sika naturally occupied terrain and food sources that best fit their needs. We simply manage an exotic species as if it were native. While whitetails are known for their fondness of corn, soybeans and acorns, the diminutive sika prefers a more varied diet.

Favorite foods for sika are marsh grass, bayberry, catbrier and poison ivy. And, being of vastly different sizes, interbreeding is highly unlikely. They are too far apart on the family tree to crossbreed. Sika are most often seen at dawn and dusk and are not as easy to pattern as whitetails. They are considerably smaller than whitetail and have dark brown or black coats in winter and a reddish orange coat in summer. During the rut, stags keep a harem of estrous hinds in close proximity, and fiercely protect them against all rivals.

Sika hinds typically bear a single calf, whereas a whitetail doe may have twins or triplets. Sika tend to outlive whitetails, mainly due to their withdrawn and more nocturnal marshland lifestyle.

Being a non-native species, sika have several decided advantages over whitetails. In addition to not being tied to limited food sources, sika are more resistant to diseases such as chronic wasting disease.

They also are more resistant to mosquito-borne diseases. Their small size and weight allow them to navigate the marshlands with the ease of a hummingbird in places a whitetail would never dream of traveling. They stay in the deepest recesses of hard-to-reach marshland.

Those seeking them should remember to take bug spray. An expanded turkey and sika deer population has allowed land owners to command more for hunting leases.

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Where are sika deer located in maryland. Maryland Mammals

 

Sika deer are small members of the elk family that have a dark brown to black coat. Sikas tend to keep their white spots as adults which are more prominent during summer. Males, aka stags , also have a dark shaggy mane running down their neck. Sika deer have a white rump patch that flares outward when alarmed.

Proportionally to white-tailed deer, sika deer have shorter snouts and smaller ears. Sika antlers can reach lengths up to 15 inches. Sika stags typically weigh 90 pounds while females, aka hinds , weigh around 70 pounds.

Sika deer originate mostly from Japan, Taiwan, and East Asia. They were introduced to Maryland in the early s when Clement Henry released 5 or 6 deer on James Island.

Today, the population primarily inhabits Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset, and Worcester counties as well as Assateague Island. Sika deer prefer marshes and thick forested wetlands and have established a population concentration in southern Dorchester County. Sika hinds typically have home ranges of about 1 square mile while stag home ranges can be much larger, especially during the breeding season.

Hinds have also been found to move several miles for calving and then return to their home range. Sika deer primarily feed at dusk through dawn on marsh vegetation, grasses and agricultural crops such as corn and soybeans. Bayberry, catbrier, and poison ivy are a few of the preferred food choices. Sika deer generally reach sexual maturity at around 16 months. The breeding season begins around late September and gestation lasts approximately 30 weeks, with most calves born in May.

Almost always, births are single calves. Males tend to be very territorial and keep a harem of females during the breeding season. Hinds generally remain in small family groups with their young, sometimes including offspring from the previous year. Sikas are one of the most vocal members of the Deer family Cervidae and have at least 5 distinct calls.

During the fall and early winter breeding season, stags can be heard bugling, which is best described as a multi-pitched, extended wail. Hinds use soft bleats and whistles to communicate with other females and offspring, and their alarm call is a short, high-pitched bark. During most of the year, sika hinds generally remain in small family groups with their young, sometimes including offspring from the previous year.

Stags are largely solitary during fall and winter, and then form bachelor bands during late spring and summer. With the exception of the breeding season, stags and hinds typically remain segregated. Hinds during the day generally move about a half mile between feeding and bedding areas, while stags move much longer distances in a given day. Sika deer are also excellent swimmers and have no trouble navigating waterways.

Sika deer are a popular game species on the eastern shore, and hunters travel from many surrounding states during the fall hunting season. For more information on deer management in Maryland please click here.

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Skip to Content Accessibility Information. Maryland Mammals. Habitat: Sika deer prefer marshes and thick forested wetlands and have established a population concentration in southern Dorchester County.

Reproduction: Sika deer generally reach sexual maturity at around 16 months. Sounds: Sikas are one of the most vocal members of the Deer family Cervidae and have at least 5 distinct calls. Behavior: During most of the year, sika hinds generally remain in small family groups with their young, sometimes including offspring from the previous year. Management: Sika deer are a popular game species on the eastern shore, and hunters travel from many surrounding states during the fall hunting season.

Did you Know? Sika deer employ bounce locomotion to flee danger, much like mule deer. China used to have the largest native Sika population but thousands of years of hunting and habitat loss have reduced the population to less than a thousand individuals.

The velvet antlers of Sika deer are used in traditional Chinese medicine which led to domestication for the antler trade long ago. Our Social Media Channels. We're available on the following channels.