Hunting Sika Deer in France

[guillaume]

The Sika deer (Cervus sika nippon) originate from Japan. The Mikado (the Japanese Emperor) offered the first sika deer to France in 1890. Since then, the French sika deer populations have numbered considerably and are considered a French hunting species.

 

[Dr Ray]

Nice animals. Congratulations on such fine hunting opportunities.

 

[BRICKBURN]

I’m glad they are doing so well.

 

[Sika98k]

About the same time they were released in Ireland. Great deer to hunt,sneaky sikas !

 

[Artur S]

Upon having a closer look at this deer species, one can only adore them )) they have so many fascinating traits and specialties, which distinguish them from other cervids. It would take 2 pages here to write them down, but if there ever will be some major catastrophe to bring mammals / cervids on the brink of extintioen, sika will survive it.

And already now, they don't go hard on the forest, they can much better cope with human intrusion into their habitats, they are ways better in terms of resistance against parasites and immunity, they cope much better with a narrowed genetic pool and it is said that sika venison is the best there is.

I have always disregarded them because of their relatively poor head/trophy, but i am growing up/getting older ))) and I enjoy now hunting more because of hunting on its own and much less because of a trophy... Change in philosophy ))

And I have soaked up a podcast / radio documentary about them and am now a fan of that deer race.

Finally, any population outside their recent habitat (Southeastern Asia) is vivid wildlife protection ex situ.

 

[JPbowhunter]

Upon having a closer look at this deer species, one can only adore them )) they have so many fascinating traits and specialties, which distinguish them from other cervids. It would take 2 pages here to write them down, but if there ever will be some major catastrophe to bring mammals / cervids on the brink of extintioen, sika will survive it.

And already now, they don't go hard on the forest, they can much better cope with human intrusion into their habitats, they are ways better in terms of resistance against parasites and immunity, they cope much better with a narrowed genetic pool and it is said that sika venison is the best there is.

I have always disregarded them because of their relatively poor head/trophy, but i am growing up/getting older ))) and I enjoy now hunting more because of hunting on its own and much less because of a trophy... Change in philosophy ))

And I have soaked up a podcast / radio documentary about them and am now a fan of that deer race.

Finally, any population outside their recent habitat (Southeastern Asia) is vivid wildlife protection ex situ.

Poor head? I guess that's a matter of perspective. Granted the ones in the US and Ireland are terrible but go to nz, japan or Ukraine and they're very impressive.

Not to mention probably the most challenging deer to hunt. I will go back to hunt them again one day if nothing more than for the challenge.

 

[Artur S]

I (partially) live in maral country.. i have seen monsters and was myself privileged to get one real senior stag.
Compared to that breed and red stag and wapiti and Roosevelt elk, sika IS poor . But hey, as I wrote above - it does not matter to me personally. I would love to hunt sika in a sustainable population. That is now definitely on my bucket list.

 

[JPbowhunter]

Fair I guess, but by that logic anything smaller than a red stag is poor, for that matter they're all poor compared to a yukon moose.

I think one of the most impressive or aesthetically pleasing deer are hog deer which is why I spend a week every year sitting in a tree waiting for them. But they're only the size of a fat lamb.

To each their own