Sika question - What would you do?

stratts

Well-Known Member
Ok, you may have seen on a couple of my threads that due to either deliberate release (which I've been told happened) or escapees we have around 20 Sika very close to my shooting permissions. I was wondering if/when they would roam the 1/2 - 3/4 of a mile onto my ground and according to a fella who works there it seems they have arrived!

9 were seen leaving the 40 acres where I have placed a trailcam due to the munty tracks (in the munty highway thread) and crossed the road over onto the other 1000 acres I shoot. After talking to the chap who saw them he thought there were 8 hinds and one younger stag who only had smallish spikes. This would tally up with a group I have seen before about 2 miles away.

Here comes the dilemma and question.

I have permission to shoot anything I like in the smaller fields , but not the 1000 acres which is Muntjac only. If it were you and the opportunity arose would you shoot any of the Sika?

Again I'll reiterate that I am under no pressure to shoot anything it is purely recreational, other than a few people connected to the land are after some venison, including the fella who spotted them!!

I can't quite decide what I'd do yet and am too inexperienced to know what would be for the best, with the Sika being non native and released/escaped animals!

Your thoughts please,

Stratts
 
Sika have been around the p borough area for a long time released when lady wrothchild disbanded her park .a couple of my friends shot sika there and indeed I remember hearing them whistle in the night whilst another mate of mine and I were lamping rabbits on the estate .should you decide to take an animal I doubt you would be wiping them out red have also been seen in the area there was Pierre David's in the park but to my knowledge none were ever released .
regards
norma
 
I've found that a trail of chocolate covered popcorn at a rate of about a small handful every 7.623 metres works rather well.

Fattens them up as well!
 
The Muntjac are non-native too so that should not conflict with your operations.
If you have permission to shoot deer in general and not Muntjac in particular on those areas I am sure your hosts would be grateful for a Sika carcase.

HWH.
 
Me personally I'd leave the sika alone till next year unless the landowner is complaining , that way they have a wee chance to get established and aren't being clobbered on your permission , if next year you decide to take a beast or two you will be in a more informed position to do so
 
Stratts

I have probably same Sika you are referring to on my permission and I choose to leave them alone. So few of them and only normally see hinds at night.
 
Sika are very hard on trees, and will barkstrip conifers long after other deer have left them alone. I think you should have a management plan under consideration from day one as the effort required to take one sika can be measured in days rather than hours. They are unpredictable and very fast learners.

Ion
 
Shoot them all! They shouldn't be there in the first instance. If Sika become established, they are a nightmare to manage effectively.
Get rid of them now whilst you still have the chance - all of them!
MS
 
Shoot them all! They shouldn't be there in the first instance. If Sika become established, they are a nightmare to manage effectively.
Get rid of them now whilst you still have the chance - all of them!
MS

This man is talking sense. Get them on the deck.
 
Stratts

I have probably same Sika you are referring to on my permission and I choose to leave them alone. So few of them and only normally see hinds at night.

Its this sort of attitude that has led to the spread of Muntjac.
 
hi strats
the sika you refer to have been around for quite a while and do roam around quite a bit , as someone else said they originated from a fence , peer davids came from the same place but i know most of them were shot .
give me a txt mate if you want a cwd and it would be nice to catch up
regards andy
 
Yes, let's just kill everything that walks on the land. Great for our sport and great ammo for the antis. If it ain't doing no harm, I don't shoot it. I manage the land not rape it of every 4 legged thing that lives on it. The reason these Sika are still around is because there are more people in the area that think like me.
 
Yes, let's just kill everything that walks on the land. Great for our sport and great ammo for the antis. If it ain't doing no harm, I don't shoot it. I manage the land not rape it of every 4 legged thing that lives on it. The reason these Sika are still around is because there are more people in the area that think like me.
Rubbish. They're around because they are experts at avoiding getting shot. Are munties all over our country because of people like you too? Of cause they're not. They're shot on sight (almost) but they're also very hard to get on top of and obviously breed all year round too. Would you leave mink to get established too? With your way of thinking I assume you would!
Baguio
 
Cheers guys food for thought.

I may take one for the pot if the chance arises just to try the venison and like you say, I am unlikely to wipe them out anyway coz if they are that clever they won't hang around my small pocket of land when I start shooting there in earnest!!
 
There are bound to be mixed opinions on this one. You need to decide what your stance is on this and make a plan accordingly. If and when this group of Sika walks out in front of you one evening you need to have decided what your objectives are, as it will affect your decision of which beast to shoot.
 
Rubbish. They're around because they are experts at avoiding getting shot. Are munties all over our country because of people like you too? Of cause they're not. They're shot on sight (almost) but they're also very hard to get on top of and obviously breed all year round too. Would you leave mink to get established too? With your way of thinking I assume you would!
Baguio

1) History - The origins of this group were released a long time a go and they have never spread far.
2) Location - They are in middle England and not the wilds of Scotland where they have space to breed. As a result there are a lot more people managing them, hence their numbers kept at manageable levels. See Stratts comment re lack of stags.
3) Geography - As point 2, unlike munties they need woodland cover to lay up in. They also herd unlike munties, you can't compare Sika to Munties at all.
4) Breeding - As you say, munties breeding is totally different, hence increased numbers. You can't compare.
5) Balance - Do we go out and shoot everything except red and roe until there is nothing left? After all, all the other deer other than these are non native.

I never said, don't shoot, one I just said I choose not to. As my old grandad said many years ago, it is because one gun doesn't lift his barrels to a woodcock that the woodcock is there for the gun that does.

As for the comment re mink, I think you have misunderstood my point.

Best of luck Stratts, it is good that you have the option to take one for the table.

Happy Christmas to all.
 
On a completely different tack:- If the landowner of the 1,000 acres permission does not wish the Sika to be shot and then becomes aware that Strats is shooting them on small fields just across the road (I am familiar with the locations), that could have an unwanted impact upon the main permission ?
Proceed with caution and diplomacy methinks.
 
Shoot them all! They shouldn't be there in the first instance. If Sika become established, they are a nightmare to manage effectively.
Get rid of them now whilst you still have the chance - all of them!
MS


Agree100% with MS, if you let them get established, wait till the landowner inspects his trees, you might find yourself looking for other stalking venues.
 
Agree100% with MS, if you let them get established, wait till the landowner inspects his trees, you might find yourself looking for other stalking venues.

I have seen some very severe damage to trees by Sika bark stripping, at a location adjacent to the original release site. If I remember correctly this was during a period of severe weather. Bole scoring is also obvious in some places.
 
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