Sika Deer

The rutting season for Sika, Cervus nippon, lasts from around September to November and is the best time for spotting this large deer skulking about the woods and forestry.

Sika are similar in appearance to Fallow but are in fact foreign invaders and their size varies considerably, the more common Japanese sub-species has a shoulder height of 60-80cm whereas the Sybowski Sika of Manchuria and Korea, otherwise known as Dybowski’s Sika Cervus nippon mantchuricus measures up to 110cm.

Sika/Red Hybridisation

Whilst resembling Fallow, Sika are more closely related to Red Deer and can interbreed with them, producing fertile offspring, these hybrids display characteristics of both parent species but hybridisation is usually quite rare.

Evolutionary biologists have concluded from analysis of DNA that the Red and Sika Deer species diverged between 5 to 7 million years ago, in the general time-scale of things this divergence is very recent which is why the two species can so readily hybridise.

How did Sika get here?

Originally released at Powerscourt Estate in County Wicklow, Ireland during the 1860s Sika became so successful and popular that they were introduced elsewhere at Deer Parks in the New Forest, Scotland, Cumbria and here in Lancashire; Gisburne Park Estate (not to be confused with Gisburn Forest). Subsequent escapes and further introductions over the year’s led to them being found throughout the British Isles.

By the 1960s and 70s Forestry plantations created in the 50s after the War had matured and Sika were quick to colonise them, here in the Northwest a hybrid Sika/Red stag was shot in the Lune valley in Lancashire in 1964 and in 65 and 67 “Manchurian/Red half-breed” deer were recorded rutting in the Lake District.

They habitually keep to woodland more than Reds but the stags will range considerably further distances away hinds, which increases their ability to colonise new territories.

Sika released at Gisburne Park in the Ribble valley, brought to the area from Powerscourt by Lord Ribblesdale in the late 1800s or early 1900s after the local Fallow deer were over-hunted by the the local Ribblesdale Buckhounds, quickly spread to new forestry plantations at Gisburn Forest where they can be seen now and have caused significant problems to foresters.

Concern to Ecologists and Land-managers

Whilst Hybridisation of Red and Sika is a little-understood phenomena it is one of great concern to ecologists and land-managers, both species fit different ecological niches and extinction of Reds via hybridisation could have detrimental effects on our native woodlands.

Sika hybrids pose a threat to the sporting and tourism value of Red deer too, a Trophy Red stag is worth a lot to an estate, at least £450 for anything up to a Royal (12 points to their antlers) and over £800 for a Royal and herds such as the ones at Richmond Park, Holkham Hall and Raby Castle, to name a few, bring in many millions of tourist £s, this has also incentivised scientific research into hybridisation.

How to Seek a Sika

Usually a shy and secretive creature, Sika can be seen out and about more often at this time of the year as the males seek out and establish new territories.

They venture further from the safety of the trees into fields and their unique and unusual whistle, akin to a wolf whistle or a pig’s squeal, may alert you to their presence when otherwise their well camouflaged form and tendency to dissolve into the bracken and rushes means you could quite possibly walk past them all the time without noticing.

Hinds will sometimes whistle as well and the males may bark like a dog, which is quite disconcerting sometimes if you are out at dusk and the noise echoes from the trees. They can be called quite easily by mimicking these sounds, a piece of polystyrene rubbed against glass such as a car-window often works, and as long as you are still and downwind, that means with the breeze blowing from the deer into your face, they will approach, very cautiously, to investigate.

Sika like most deer are a bit colourblind, sensing movement more than shape, so the colour of your clothes shouldn’t be too much of a problem, but they have excellent hearing and sense of smell, so if you are aiming to photograph them turn the shutter sound off on your camera, don’t wear any aftershave or perfume, and don’t smoke!

Where to spot Sika in the Northwest

In the Northwest I have seen them most often in the quieter bits of Gisburn Forest away from the tracks and mountain bike trails, the noise of which has driven a lot of deer out of the forestry. The forestry workers have been quite happy about this as Sika will destroy any saplings, but deer-stalkers less so as they have had to move their high-chairs and deer blinds further out.

I have also seen them in Grindleton forest and on the tops on Easington fell, they are also on Longridge fell where their tracks, two slots with pointed ends, can be seen in the mud on the footpaths, the tracks are very similar to Red or Fallow tracks though, both of which may also be found about this part of the country.

Problems and Solutions

As Sika are so damaging to tree plantations wherever saplings are planted deer fencing needs to be erected too, this is an expensive job and the fences can be intrusive as they need to be over 6ft tall to stop them jumping over. Stalkers (often incorrectly called ‘hunters’) will be hired to control them and the Venison can be bought in local markets and butchers.

Recently the NHS has teamed up with Forestry England to put Venison, sourced from Gisburn Forest, on the menu in East Lancashire’s Hospitals to much acclaim due to its positive health and environmental credentials, venison being a lean, locally-sourced and perhaps most importantly cheap meat option.

Landowners such as Forestry England and United Utilities for example, who have planted thousands of saplings as part of their Sustainable Water Catchment Project (SCaMP) have had huge losses due to Sika but the use of deerstalkers has proved problematic regarding public perception, giving project managers headaches when trying to figure out a solution, meanwhile populations keep increasing.

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