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Sika deer

Cervus nippon · Introduced/exotic big game · Big game

Sika deer (Cervus nippon): Small to medium deer, shoulder height 64-109 cm. Coat chestnut-brown to reddish-olive (varies from yellow-brown to grey or black), marked with seven or eight rows of white spots along the back. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the sika deer map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Antlered sika deer in dense forest undergrowth
Photo by pen_ash on Unsplash
Scientific name
Cervus nippon
Family
Cervidae
Range
Native to eastern Asia. Introduced and established in the United States in Maryland, Virginia, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin.
Biology

How to identify it

Small to medium deer, shoulder height 64-109 cm. [1]

Coat chestnut-brown to reddish-olive (varies from yellow-brown to grey or black), marked with seven or eight rows of white spots along the back. [1]

Dark stripe down the middle of the back ending at a large white rump patch that can be flared. [1]

Males only carry narrow, upright antlers with an upswept brow tine, usually 30-66 cm long; in velvet May-August, hard by early September. [1]

Compared with the white-tailed deer: Look for the sika's white-spotted coat, dark stripe down the back ending in a large white rump patch, and the male's narrow, upright antlers. [1]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Do not identify Sika deer from colour alone. Compare structure, size, range and the listed similar species before making a field decision.[1]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Primarily forest with a dense understorey, but adapts to freshwater marsh (as in Maryland) and grassland, from sea level to 1,800 m. [1]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Primarily nocturnal and not very gregarious; adult males are solitary most of the year. [1]

Rutting males dig urine-soaked pits with antlers and forefeet and thrash ground cover to mark territory. [1]

Highly vocal: soft whistles, bleats, neighs, and loud screams from males; alarm call a sharp scream, whistle or bark. [1]

Adaptable grazer and browser; good swimmer. [1]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Native to eastern Asia. Introduced and established in the United States in Maryland, Virginia, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology