Sitka deer in Maryland/delmarva?!?!?

[Chris Shelton]

#6993

I know there are some Maryland guys on here, and alot of others that have talked of hunting delmarva for whitetail or sitka deer? Anyone have any stories or help/tips? I am going to eventually transfer to college by Baltimore and I will be stranded in a sea of people for three years untill I get my Bacelors!!! I might as well make the best of it, and crab and hunt sitkas, bowfish sttingrays, and all the other stuff I dont get to do! I have some time before this move, but want to know of some experiences or stories, good or bad. If you find yourself swiming in a pond or orange or something like that tell me!!! Thanks
Chris

[William Warren]

#57479

Greatree,

I hunted Sika deer on the Chesapeake side of the Delmarva near Easton and we were entering a swamp through private land. I believe this was next to a wildlife refuge but can’t remember the name. The diminuitive Sika deer are not native and were brought here from Asia. They are related to our elk and have a similar antler structure and they bugle during their rut! It is an erie sound down in the swamp! There is also a population at Assateague Island in Virginia and I know of a very decent buck taken in Hyde Co NC. The Sika loves the swamp and will remain in flooded timber and go nocturnal if pressured. Your best chance is to set a portable stand in flooded timber along travel routes to adjacent fields and try to waylay them on their way to feed just before dark.
If there is public land near Baltimore there should be hunting for whitetails too.
Duncan

Edit: BTW you will need some hip boots or knee highs to hunt these Sika deer.

[lssa]

#57842

the refuge you are refering to is probaly blackwaterwildlife refuge it starts in cambridge.
assateague island also comes into maryland almost to ocean city and they have a good population of sitka deer.
dorchester county is probaly still ur best bet fair amount of public land down there around the marsh

[Chris Shelton]

#9791

thanks guys! Duncan I was planning on wearing my chest waders, but hip boots actually sound a bit less sweaty! I knew that assateague comes up into maryland quite a bit actually. But thought that was kinda a haul from baltimore, dorchester sounds better?? So I will look into that! Thanks again guys!

[Snakeeater]

#10711

Just a pet peeve here, but many folks do this…these little deer are SIKA deer. SITKA deer are those blacktails in the Pacific Northwest.

End of rant.

Larry

[Snakeeater]

#10746

You can camp at Assateaque if you want to, so the drive isn’t too bad if you make a weekend of it, come down on Friday and home on Sunday.

Check out the sika forum (The Wallow) on http://www.marylandwhitetail.com for more info on sika hunting. There are a lot of good folks there who will be glad to give you advice and the benefit of their experience.

Larry

[Chris Shelton]

#10840

Thanks larry for the info! I will now never forget there actual name!! I will check out that forum, and thanks again! Hopefully I get a crack at a SIKA when I am going to college there!:D
Chris

[Killdeer]

#34465

Chris, one of the finest trad shoots is held in May, just outside of Baltimore. Look up Baltimore Bowmen for more info. Bring a tent.

Killdeer:D

[capncook]

#37257

Check out the Traditional Bowhunters of MD (coincidentally, “TBM”) and join us to tap into the bowhunters who routinely hunt Blackwater Refuge, Assateague, and other areas in MD. Call or e-mail our Secretary and ask for assistance.

TBM also has a booth at the Baltimore Traditional Classic, as Killdeer mentioned.

http://www.traditionalbowhuntersofmd.us/

Welcome to Maryland!

[Bert]

#40994

Dear Snakeeater et al- Sitka deer are a subspecies of mule and blacktail deer, specifically ‘Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis’ found in British Columbia, Canada and Alaska and not here in the traditional PNW of Washington and Oregon- be great to import them though, especially if they are ‘dumber’ so I could finally score!
How do you track an arrowed Sika deer in a swamp is what I’d like to know. And then what you do?
Best- Bert

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