The Search for Sitka

Ever heard of a Sika Deer? Didn’t think so. Unless you are deep into the hunting world or have sons who are always watching hunting shows on tv, chances are you have no clue what I’m talking about. Well, sit down for a couple of minutes while I update you on our latest adventure….

Young Win’s school has a thing called T Term at the beginning of spring semester where the boys can sign up for some epic adventure abroad or participate in local projects. He did not win the lottery for the abroad trips and was not thrilled with the local options. He approached the school with his own idea. He was looking for a great adventure with his brother that they could talk about for the next 30 years, and he came up with a Sika deer hunt in Maryland (the only place in the US where they live in any real density). He roped me into it, along with a cousin, and the school gave him the green light.

A Sika deer is an import from Japan about a hundred and fifty years ago that thrives in the marsh land of Maryland. There is tons of public land up there where they can do their invasive thing and they have thrived. I don’t know if there is any ecological issues with them, but the herd does need to be managed, hence this small rifle season. We felt obligated to do our part. Here to serve, people. They are a diminutive animal, with large stags topping out around 90-100 pounds and the hinds (females to the layperson) about 80. And, they are known for being delicious. Supposedly the tastiest game in North America.

We launched our trip at the heels of a gigantic family trip that was extended by the skirmish in Venezuela. Frankly, we were tired and ready to stay home for a little while, but we made a commitment, so began our 11 hour drive.

We were completely unprepared. We used a harness and ladder system so we could climb up into trees without falling out and killing ourselves, but had not had the opportunity to try them out before we departed. We probably knew about 5% of what we needed to know before disappearing into the woods.

BUT, it was incredible and truly lived up to the hype. We finally saw a couple of deer at the literal last minute and were able to harvest one. The legalities of whether or not there was enough daylight are purely subjective at this point. But, we did manage to shoot a nice little hind, get her dressed and put in the cooler, and head back to the Holiday Inn Express.

And, I can tell you that they are indeed delicious. We did a big roast night one after our victorious return, fried up little medallions from the back strap and tenderloins on night two, and are turning the shoulders into jerky. The lovely wife was tired of cooking up wild game, and the boys liked this idea. We’ll see how it turns out.

So, all in all, it was a resounding success. Win got the adventure he was hoping for, as did the rest of us. I got to reconnect with an old college buddy from the area. We did our part to rid the planet of an invasive species, and got to eat it too.

We are already planning our return trip next year, hopefully a little wiser.