Sika Deer Poster

Sika Deer sharing breakfast with a bird friend. Maryland's exotic sika deer (pronounced SEE-kuh) is native to southern Japan, and first appeared on Maryland's lower Eastern Shore when Clement Henry released them on James Island in 1916. Today, sika deer (Cervus nippon yakushimae) inhabit all of the lower Eastern Shore counties, with the highest density located in the marshes and wetlands of southern Dorchester County. Sika deer were also released and established populations on Assateague Island during the 1920's, apparantly by a boy scout troop that had them penned and charged a fee to view them to support their troop. The cost of keeping the deer became greater than the money collected and they were released on Assateague Island. Sika deer differ in looks from native white-tailed deer. They are shorter in stature -- adults stand about 2 ½ feet at the rump. Their coat tends to be reddish brown during summer months, and dark brown to black in color during winter. Even as adults they have white spots, mainly running parallel down their back. Stags generally have a dark, shaggy mane running down their neck, and their antlers are narrow and sweep backwards rather than forwards like the white-tail's antlers. A 6-point stag is a trophy, with 8-pointers being extremely rare. Finally, unlike white-tailed deer that raise their tail like a flag when alarmed, sika deer have a round white rump patch that flares outward when they are excited or alarmed.