deer management

Seasonal patterns of resource selection by introduced sika deer (Cervus nippon) in Kaweka Forest Park Recreational Hunting Area, New Zealand

Sika deer (Cervus nippon) have attained high densities within their introduced range in the central North Island, New Zealand. They are an important big-game species for recreational hunters in New Zealand, but they can have unwanted impacts on native plants, such as reducing seedling growth rates. Management of sika deer requires detailed knowledge about which resources are important to them and how resource selection changes temporally.